


D e s t i n y [Pokémon x Reader]

by LadyLyacaria



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon GO
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Developing Friendships, Eventual Romance, F/F, F/M, Fanfiction, Fate & Destiny, Friendship, Gen, Multi, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Pokemon - Freeform, Pokemon Battle, Pokemon Fanfiction, Pokemon Journey, Pokemon Training, Prophecy, Reader-Insert, Romance, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-08-01
Packaged: 2019-03-17 18:29:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 60
Words: 62,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13664787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyLyacaria/pseuds/LadyLyacaria
Summary: A centuries-old and long-forgotten prophecy about The Original One, a villainous team that has been lying in wait just as long, a trio of legendary Trainers devoted to the protection of The Destined One, a curious boy who wants to witness the rise of another hero ... and a girl with a peculiar ability, oblivious to this all and yet pulled by fate's strings.What could possibly go wrong when she embarks on a Pokémon journey while - unbeknownst to her - three parties are searching for her far and wide because of reasons that couldn't be more different from one another?Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. I only own the story and the OCs appearing in it.✶Comments are highly appreciated✶





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, guys! Thanks a bunch for deciding to read this story! This is the very first time I'm posting something on AO3, though this fanfic was taken from my Quotev account. Anyways, I hope you'll enjoy~!

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Today would be just another ordinary day in your life – or so you thought.

The day – a Saturday – began for you like any other day as well. Woken by your alarm clock’s loud, obnoxious beeping (though that was exactly why it never failed to do its job), you jumped out of bed at 7am sharp. Straightaway, you slipped into the clothes you had already put out yesterday evening, like usual, and got ready for the day. When you left your family’s two-storey stone cottage shortly afterwards, you didn’t have the faintest idea of what kind of turn this day would soon take.

Just to get something straight, though, it wasn’t like you were complaining about your life. In fact, you were happy with your current lifestyle and situation, commuting between Hydrus Village and Hydra Town on a daily basis. You couldn’t be more content. Although, like pretty much every other teenager, you wished to leave your hometown to go on a Pokémon journey, but that could wait until after graduation.

The daily routine type of thing might seem rather boring to most others, and they surely would grow sick and tired of doing the same stuff every day after a while, but not you. You thought of that as the exact opposite of boring. There virtually wasn’t a single second you had nothing to do. You were always busy, and you had plenty of fun all the while. There was one thing in particular you would never grow tired of: helping out in your parents’ small clinic for Pokémon in Hydra Town on the larger neighbouring island.

More or less every day after school, and occasionally even on the weekends, you would go to the clinic and spend some hours there tending to the Pokémon patients and their owners, assisting your mom and dad and a few other doctors and nurses. Back in your hometown on the other, smaller island, you and your parents also made house calls if needed.

Your family’s small clinic was like one of those Pokémon Centers you’d find in major cities and towns all over the world – just without the healing station that magically healed the Pokémon still in their Poké Balls. At the clinic, the Pokémon were personally taken care of by a nurse and/or a doctor until they were in tip-top condition again and ready to return to their Trainer. Most of the time, that process only took up a couple of minutes, sometimes an hour or two (or maybe more), and rarely a few days, if not weeks, depending on the severity of the injury or illness.

Your job were the difficult cases where the Pokémon refused to undergo a medical check because of differing reasons. More often than not, they were too agitated, nervous, or timid and had to be calmed down and persuaded first. But sometimes, the nurse and/or doctor was at a loss for what the cause of the patient’s ailment was. Due to your special ability, only you could find out what was wrong with them.

This ability of yours was partly responsible for the fame your parents’ clinic had gained in a short period of time, ever since you had started working there in your free time. Everyone on the two islands knew of the superb services provided at the [Surname] Clinic for Pokémon, and from time to time, even people from the coastal towns and cities on the mainland took the trouble to come to Hydra Town just so they could pay the clinic a visit with their Pokémon.

However, no one knew that you were in any kind of way special, that you indeed were one of a kind in the truest sense of the word. Your neighbours, your teachers, your classmates, your co-workers – they all thought you were “merely” a talented nurse who was famous for her special sweetened herbal medicine, taking after her extraordinarily skilled parents and following in their footsteps. Nothing more and nothing less.

Every single one of them was unaware of that peculiar ability you possessed – just like you were oblivious to your destiny that would soon unfold and take its course.


	2. ⸢ Chapter 1 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Sweetie, would you please come here for a second?” you heard your mom call out to you from your seated spot in the lunchroom.

“Coming!” you called back, quickly standing up and brushing some sandwich crumbs off your white nurse uniform before running to one of the examination rooms. There, your mom currently was wrapping gauze around the sprained ankle of a Lillipup while its owner, an elderly man, was looking on with worry glimmering in his bespectacled eyes.

“Good day, sir,” you greeted him with a polite smile.

Your mom briefly looked up at you and gave you a smile, then she nodded to the man. “Mr. Abrams here just told me that he thinks he’s heard a Pokémon crying in the grove around the cave,” she said.

“I'm no spring chicken anymore, and my hearing is getting worse the older I get,” Mr. Abrams said. “I hope I’m not causing any inconveniences.”

“It’s no trouble at all,” you assured him.

“Would you please go check if there’s a Pokémon that needs our help?” your mom asked. “I’m sure you won’t have any problems locating it. And don’t forget to take a Pokémon with you on your way out! Who knows what made the Pokémon cry in the first place.”

You nodded vigorously. “Will do!” You hurried out of the exam room and down the hallway, past a few of your co-workers and some patients with their Pokémon on their way to receive treatment or to exit the clinic. You greeted all of them as you ran past them, receiving warm smiles, polite nods, and friendly hellos in return you only took fleeting notice of since you were too busy making sure you didn’t run into people or other obstacles.

In the waiting room of the clinic, you grabbed an empty Poké Ball from a drawer inside the reception desk and looked around, locking eyes with a Chansey that had just finished escorting a Pelipper with a broken wing and its owner to the exit. You motioned to the Poké Ball in your hand with a questioning look, and the Egg Pokémon gave a simple nod and jumped straight into the opened ball, singing out, “Let’s go!”

Now armed with a trusty Pokémon (in case there were agitated and hostile ones lurking around in the grove), you left the clinic building and set out for the small forest beyond the outskirts of town. The paved street soon merged into a gravel path you followed and which led you right to Lucus Grove, avoiding tall grass along the way. The few Pokémon Trainers there refrained from challenging you to a battle because of your nurse uniform and let you pass. Most of them were classmates from your school and called out a greeting to you.

Upon reaching the edge of the wood, you heard quiet, barely audible wails coming from deeper within. There really was a Pokémon in distress! Not wasting any time, you entered Lucus Grove, ignoring the beaten path and instead opting to follow the sounds of distress straight to their source.

On any other day, you would have stopped and marvelled at the sight this grove offered: Sunlight was seeping through the thin canopy of leaves and illuminating the ground below in a golden shimmer, and the mellow tunes and melodies of birds, crickets, and Pokémon alike were wafting through the air, blending with the noises and cries other forest-dwelling Pokémon and animals were making all around you.

However, through these melodious sounds cut the pitiful whimpers you let yourself be guided by like a knife. Along with the feeling of the smooth, cool surface of the Poké Ball against your palm was this a constant reminder of the urgent and far more important matter at hand, the reason why you were here in the first place.

As you were getting closer to the hurt Pokémon, indicated by its cries slowly but surely growing louder, you could also distinguish the distinct sounds of a battle going on, causing you to grip the Poké Ball tighter and pick up speed. With twigs snapping beneath your shoe-clad feet and bushes rustling as you cleaved through them, you did your best to dodge both low-hanging branches and roots protruding from the ground while making a beeline for the perturbed Pokémon.

Finally, you stepped, almost stumbled out into a clearing and immediately spotted a pair of Ralts surrounded by a small pack of Poochyena growling and baring their large fangs. One of the Ralts was putting up a bitter resistance against the five Dark-type Pokémon and countering their Bite attacks with Confusion and Growl in a grimly determined attempt to defend the apparently half-conscious and, most of all, wounded other of its kind lying on the grass behind it.

“Hey, stop it! If you wanna fight, fight against me!” you yelled at the Poochyena who all turned around to you at once, visibly caught off guard by your sudden appearance. You held the Poké Ball up high and made a move to throw it, but before the ball even hit the ground, the pack of Bite Pokémon had already dispersed amid loud, panicked yowls of “Run for it!”, and “Human is stronger than us!”, bolting into different directions.

With the imminent danger averted, you could take a closer look at the two dual-type Pokémon to estimate the state they were in, not moving an inch for now as to not daunt them any further. What you took notice of first was the striking fact that they were both shiny, their heads coloured sky-blue instead of light green. Both of their delicate bodies were littered in bite and scratching marks, but all of these were minor injuries, none of them seemed to be severe.

Furthermore, the Ralts that had put up a fight against the pack of Dark-type Pokémon appeared to be on the verge of fainting. But it willed itself to stand upright as it mimicked what you were doing, scrutinizing you as well with wary eyes.


	3. ⸢ Chapter 2 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

For a moment, you both looked at each other. The Pokémon’s two orange horns, a large one toward the front and a smaller one at the back, lit up in a soft glow before it turned away from you and towards the other Ralts. Taking this as a cue, you nodded to the Chansey to follow you and jogged up to the pair, the Normal-Type Pokémon trailing behind you.

“Don’t worry, brother. The human girl has good intentions,” the – what you assumed was, considering the pitch of the Pokémon’s voice – female Ralts mumbled, stroking her brother’s back which was heaving up and down in slow, steady breaths. “She will help us. Stay strong.”

“You’re right, I’m here to help you. Chansey and I, we’re gonna take you to a hospital, and you’ll be up and about again in no time,” you spoke softly as you knelt down next to the Feeling Pokémon. Your direct answer caused her to halt in her movements and look at you, her tangerine eyes widened in surprise, and a slightly amused smile stretched over your lips.

Every Pokémon so far had reacted in this same manner upon being confronted with your ability, and their looks of surprise, bewilderment, and confusion would never cease to entertain you. But this was clearly not the time to laugh about the funny faces they were pulling.

“You – You understand us, human?” the female asked in an uncertain, perplexed tone.

“Yeah, I do, obviously,” you smiled, “but that’s not important right now. We better get a move on. The sooner you’re at the hospital, the sooner you’re healed and free to return to your home. Chansey, give me a hand, please.”

“I’m on it, Miss [Name]!” the ovoid Pokémon chirped, carefully picked the unconscious Ralts up, and placed him in her currently empty egg pouch to keep him warm.

In the meantime, you scooped the other Ralts up in your arms, holding her comfortingly against your chest, and stood with one swift movement. But just as you turned around and started walking towards where you had entered the clearing, a huge shadow sweeping across the ground prompted you to stop dead in your tracks and look up.

Squinting against the bright sunlight, you stared into the cloudless sky, looking for the Pokémon responsible for such a large shadow. There it was! Yet again, the shadow flitted across the face of the sun and caused momentary darkness. After blinking once, twice to accustom your eyes to the sudden darkness, you involuntarily let out a gasp of astonishment at the sight of a certain Pokémon with a sparkling trail of rainbows.

“Oh gosh, it’s Ho-Oh!” you exclaimed, completely awestruck, your important task temporarily forgotten. Your [colour] eyes gleaming with excitement were practically glued to the legendary bird and following its every movement as it flew through the sky high above the ground, effortlessly gliding back and forth on a breeze. “Wow! So cool! What are the odds of seeing that Legendary Pokémon? I’m so lucky!”

All of a sudden, Ho-Oh folded its wings and swooped down, right towards the clearing you were standing in the middle of. You were rooted to the spot and could do nothing but stare at the Rainbow Pokémon in amazement as it came closer, the female Ralts protectively cradled in your arms and the Egg Pokémon carrying the male one standing next to you.

But then, just as suddenly, some feet above the treetops and with a high-pitched cry, the Legendary Pokémon re-opened its prismatic wings. Beautifully shimmering and glistering in the sunlight, they immediately caught onto an air current that propelled the bird higher into the air again. The jolt that went through its multi-coloured body released a rain of glittering particles of light sprinkling down from above onto your forms as you gaped at Ho-Oh circling the grove’s clearing one last time before flying away with powerful beats of its wings, leaving you breathless in its wake.

Until the Rainbow Pokémon was out of sight, you were in a trance-like state. You could neither move nor speak, only watch as it disappeared into the distance, your whole being filled to the brim with awe at this once-in-a-lifetime – no, once-in-a-century, if anything, encounter. You just saw a Legendary Pokémon! And it was Ho-Oh, at that!

You knew that the legend said Ho-Oh would only reveal itself before a pure-hearted Trainer by shining its bright, rainbow-coloured wings, and it did that just now, didn’t it? So, it deemed you as a pure-hearted Trainer? But what did that mean exactly? And you had also heard of rumours saying that anyone seeing Ho-Oh was promised eternal happiness …

A single feather sailing idly through the air in front of you caught your eye and snapped you out of your daze. A light, cool breeze that had sprung up carried it closer to you, and it landed atop your shoulder.

Shifting the Ralts in your arms – she had fallen asleep in the meanwhile due to the exertion of her relentless resistance against the pack of Poochyena –, you gingerly took the feather from your shoulder. It glowed in seven different colours as you absent-mindedly twirled it in your fingers. “It’s one of Ho-Oh’s feathers …” you murmured to yourself. Shaking your head to clear your confused thoughts, you quickly tucked it away in a pocket of your nurse uniform and moved to finally start on your way back to the clinic. “Let’s get going, Chansey! I’ve wasted enough time already!”

“Alright, Miss [Name]!” the Normal-type Pokémon chimed and followed you with hurried steps through the grove, this time taking the beaten path to avoid causing the two Ralts any discomfort by cutting across country, through the underbrush. Especially the one in the Chansey’s egg pouch would be partly exposed to the shrubs and small trees, and you didn’t want to add any more bruises to his poor body.


	4. ⸢ Chapter 3 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

As fast as you could while carrying a Pokémon the size of a baby and trying to steer clear of tall grass, the Chansey and you returned to your parents’ clinic where you instantly ran into an unoccupied exam room. You were followed by Junia, another nurse who had seen you enter the clinic.

“What happened to them?” Junia inquired as you gently placed the female Pokémon on the examination table.

“They got attacked by a pack of Poochyena,” you answered, taking the male Ralts from the Egg Pokémon’s arms with a smile and a small “Thanks” and laying him next to his sister. “Bite and scratch marks. Nothing severe, thank goodness. They both lost consciousness, but their breathing’s steady.”

“Well then, let’s get to work.”

“Let’s!”

In next to no time, Junia and you treated the two Pokémon’s shallow wounds with the Chansey’s skilled help, cleaning them first, then applying an antibiotic ointment, and, lastly, covering them with plasters with cute little Psychic- and Fairy-type designs. Afterwards, you brought the Ralts to a nearby hospital room and set them down in one of the beds – they were large enough for the siblings to lie next to each other. Neither of them had woken up yet; they still seemed to be recovering from the stresses and strains. The Chansey had left after her work had been done in the exam room to assist the other nurses and doctors.

“I’ve never seen shiny Pokémon before … Where did you find them?” Junia asked. She was leaning with her hip against the footboard of the bed and watching the peacefully sleeping Pokémon with a soft expression on her face.

“In the grove near the cave,” you explained, doing the same as your colleague from the spot on a stool next to the hospital bed. “Mom sent me there because one of her patients had told her that he’d heard faint cries of a Pokémon when he walked past there. They must’ve already been putting up a fight for quite a while before I got there. Poor things.”

Junia turned her head to look at you curiously. “In Lucus Grove? You saw that rainbow that appeared out of nowhere too then, right?”

You returned her look with a cocked eyebrow, confusion forming a slight frown on your face. “Uh …” She hadn’t seen the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh showing up, just the rainbow trailing behind it? If that was the case … “Oh, yeah, of course. I almost didn’t see it. It was just by chance that I looked up. Seeing that confused me a lot,” you said. Well, it wasn’t exactly the rainbow that had confused you, rather its cause …

She nodded, the bun on the top of her head bobbing up and down. “I know, right? That was really weird. It wasn’t even raining at that time, but still, there’s a freaking rainbow all of a sudden! I wonder how that happened.”

With a pensive hum, you lifted your shoulders in a shrug as you began dwelling on your own thoughts. “Beats me.”

As it seemed, the other people on this island had only seen the rainbow forming behind Ho-Oh and not the Pokémon itself; only you had apparently done so. This meant that the legendary bird had revealed itself specifically before you … didn’t it?

Anyhow, what was for sure was the fact that the Rainbow Pokémon had approached you, head-on at that. There was no denying that. The feather in your pocket was proof of this encounter, proof that it had, in fact, happened, although it still felt unreal to you, in a way, so unbelievable, so wondrous, so dream-like. I mean, an extremely rare and legendary Pokémon had appeared, flown right at you, and, if the legends were to be believed, declared you as a pure-hearted Trainer – whatever that meant anyway.

Well, either way, you best didn’t tell Junia (or anyone else for that matter, except for your parents and best friends maybe) about this. They’d probably just laugh it off at first, but, who knew, maybe you would be the talk of the town tomorrow, and that you really could do without. Seemed like now you had two secrets to keep.

The thing was, ever since you could remember, you had the peculiar ability to speak with Pokémon as if they were human beings. You understood the noises they were making, their cries and squeaks and howls and just everything. You knew what they were saying.

In your childhood, you had often played with the Pokémon found in your hometown on the small island, domestic and wild ones alike, when your (human) friends hadn't had time or when your parents had been busy with their work in the clinic. Back then, no one had suspected you to be actually able to understand Pokémon, writing it off as your vivid imagination.

It was a gift (at least you perceived it as such), but you knew not to brag about it. You were sure the news would spread like wildfire across the whole region – if not far beyond –, and in no time at all, you’d be like a star – or worse, a tourist attraction. You wouldn’t be able to continue following your dream of nursing Pokémon because certainly no one would leave you alone anymore, no matter where you’d go. And who knew how other people would react to you being able to speak with Pokémon. Would they accept you? Or would they shun you?

You didn’t want to experience or find out any of this, so you kept your ability a closely guarded secret from everyone but your parents and your five best friends. Luckily, it wasn’t difficult to do so. If someone did happen to overhear you talking to a Pokémon, you’d always say that you had a particularly deep bond with Pokémon. After all, you had grown up around them, what with your parents being doctors for Pokémon and you as a child being in their clinic most of the time.

But now that the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh apparently had declared you as a pure-hearted Trainer, would that change anything? If the legends about the rainbow-coloured bird really were true, what did that mean for you? Would that make you more special than you already were? Would that have any impacts on your future?

You couldn’t do anything at this moment but wait and see what would happen, not knowing that your fate had only just begun.


	5. Intermission

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Four green flashes cut through the inky darkness at the same moment, illuminating everything in an eerie light for just a split second. The complete silence that had been hanging over this ancient chamber for the past centuries was now broken by the quiet sounds of something shifting in the pitch-black dark.

Soon afterwards, the ground began rumbling in a low tone, as if something deep within the earth was stirring. The chamber’s ceiling started to tremble and fracture, with dust and small rocks falling to the ground, and a narrow, jagged crack spread across the rock surface. This allowed a thin line of sunlight to stream in and pierce the darkness for the first time in a very, very long time.

The sunbeam fell directly onto an equine Pokémon in the center of the chamber, caressing its white form with glinting touches. The Pokémon was enclosed by a narrow moat, the clear water glittering and sparkling in the sunlight. Its chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm as it was sleeping peacefully, its four legs tucked under its sleek body and its head placed on the smooth ground. It hadn’t moved an inch ever since it had lain down to sleep.

Catching the soft ray of light, the still glowing emeralds embedded in the golden, cross-like wheel attached to the Pokémon’s flanks shone even brighter than before. A blast of brilliant sparks flew from them. They filled the entire chamber and then proceeded to rain down onto the ground like a shower of little specks of light, floating, drifting, sailing through the dusty air.

These glimmering particles eventually landed on the Pokémon and the ground around it. As soon as they did, a faint tremor ran through the Pokémon’s body, followed by a deep, long-drawn sigh passing over its lips. Its eyelids fluttered, but didn’t open yet and instead fell still. Meanwhile, thick blades of grass and colourful flowers sprouted up out of the rocky ground where the sparks had fallen down and touched it, even beyond the thick curtain of darkness and beneath the sleeping Pokémon itself, making it a soft bed.

Moments passed. But before the heavy blanket of absolute silence could descend back on the chamber, another brief shudder seized the Pokémon. One of its eyes cracked open ever so slightly. The crimson pupil, barely visible, flared up for a moment, and then the eye fluttered closed. Silence settled over the chamber once again.

The Pokémon, however, did not return to its sound, dreamless sleep; it was now suspended in a state between wakefulness and sleeping, its mind awake and aware, but its body rigid as though it was still sleeping on its own. It could think, but it could not move, kept anchored in the world of nothingness by the seal it had placed on itself more than a millennium ago.

This seal could only be broken by one single person – a human, to be exact. The Destined One. They had finally been chosen. Now, they had to prove their worth and successfully break the seal, and only then, the Original One would fully awake from its eternal slumber.

* * *

_[Name], hear my words._

_Come find me._

_I’m waiting for you._


	6. ⸢ Chapter 4 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Junia and you left the hospital room the two Ralts were sleeping in shortly afterwards to part ways and fulfill your duties as a nurse. You pushed the thoughts about your encounter with Ho-Oh to the back of your mind so as to be able to fully concentrate on your work and not get distracted with puzzling over the meaning of all this. The well-being of Pokémon was in your hands, and you couldn’t allow yourself to slack off.

In fact, you were so preoccupied with work and taking care of the Pokémon brought to the clinic that you nearly forgot about what had happened in the grove altogether – until your shift was over, that was, and you were changing from your nurse uniform back into your normal clothes in the women’s dressing room.

Whilst checking the uniform’s pockets for any objects you might have put there during the day and neglected to dispose of or put back, like pens and leftover gauze, you almost pricked your finger on the feather’s pointed shaft.

“Ow,” you muttered to yourself as you gently sucked on the fingertip to soothe the pain, using your other hand to pull the feather out of the pocket, careful as not to damage it. Once again, you near-instantly began marvelling at its bright colours glistening even in the artificial light of the ceiling lamps. This was the very proof of Ho-Oh revealing itself before you.

You hadn’t given any more thought to that since you had gone back to work after treating the pair of Ralts, but now that the memories came flooding back into your mind, you found yourself pondering over the meaning of this encounter once more. Assuming the tales about Ho-Oh were to be true and it really, truly, seriously had designated you as a “pure-hearted Trainer” … Just what the heck did that mean?

Alas (or perhaps fortunately instead, since you felt the throb of an oncoming headache), your train of thoughts didn’t get any farther than that, because a voice right next to your ear caused the train to derail abruptly.

“Everything alright? Did you hurt yourself?” Amelia, one of your fellow nurses whose night shift was about to start, asked. She was leaning close to you to get a look at your finger you still had in your mouth in your absentminded state. Her bright blue eyes immediately landed on the feather in your hand, and a wide smile lit up her features. “Oh, what a pretty feather! Where’d you get that?”

“Oh, in the grove,” you answered after removing your index finger from your mouth and wiping it on your jeans. However, you definitely wouldn’t tell Amelia the whole truth, hence you added, not missing a beat, “I saw it lying on the ground and just had to pick it up.”

“Figures! It’s far too beautiful to leave it lying on the ground! Man, I wish I’d find something so pretty by chance ...” Without so much as a by-your-leave, she took the feather from your hand and gently tucked it behind your ear, brushing a few errant strands of hair out of your face and then stepping back to look at you. “Looks really good on you!” she said with a nod of approval, contented with her handiwork. “Make sure you don’t lose it. That’d be such a shame. You should glue it on a plastic headband so that you can wear it wherever you go!”

“I’ll think about it.” You smiled while inspecting yourself in the small mirror on the inside of your locker’s door. Amelia was right, the feather really did suit you. With its colour-changing trait, it complemented both your [colour] hair and your [colour] eyes. “Thanks, Amelia.”

“You’re welcome!” She then glanced at the clock hanging on the wall above the door and quickly fixed her nurse uniform, flashing you a vibrant smile. “Well then, gotta go. Better not be late to my shift! See you soon, [Nickname]!”

“See you!” you called after your co-worker, but she was already out the door, dashing out of the room in a whirlwind of blonde and white. Considering that she was going to spend the next several hours here with two other nurses and one doctor to look after the few Pokémon that had to stay in the clinic overnight to get proper rest and/or medical treatment – like those two Ralts from Lucus Grove –, she was surprisingly still full of vim and vigour.

Smiling to yourself about Amelia’s zestful antics, you took your bag from the locker and slung its strap over your shoulder. Before exiting the room as well, you checked the other lockers if one of your female colleagues had forgotten something and, since that wasn’t the case, left for the waiting room in the front of the small clinic afterwards.

Along with your mom and dad, the three of you always were the last from the day shift to leave the clinic, making sure that the night shift personnel were, firstly, completely present and, secondly, feeling well and fit for their work. After all, your parents were the founders of this clinic, and it was their job as the chief physicians to ensure the well-being of not only their patients, but their subordinates as well.


	7. ⸢ Chapter 5 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

When you entered the clinic’s waiting room, your parents were already there and talking to the consultant of the night shift’s team of nurses. Noticing your arrival, they waved you, both with loving smiles on their faces, and waited for you to walk over to them after they had finished their conversation with the consultant who greeted you with a nod as he walked past you.

“Oh, what’s that?” your dad immediately asked upon spotting the colourful feather behind your ear.

“A feather I found in the grove,” you answered, subconsciously lifting your hand to touch Ho-Oh’s feather. You hesitated only for a split second, eyes briefly flickering, before you continued, “Actually, there’s something I want to tell you. Something …” You paused, suddenly unsure – Would they believe you? –, and scratched your neck. “Something happened in the grove, but I’d rather tell you at home, when we’re alone.”

Your dad exchanged looks with your mom, and then they both simultaneously nodded in agreement. “Alright, honey. Let’s go home then,” he said and placed a hand on top of your head, affectionately ruffling your hair and eliciting a yelp of protest from you.

“Dad!” you exclaimed in a whiny voice, sending a reproachful look his way which only made him laugh. With a pout, you smoothed down your hair again and readjusted the feather.

“Come on now, you two,” your mom said, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she tried not to laugh out loud. Though she couldn’t help but let out an amused giggle at the banter of your dad and you. “You don’t want to miss the ferry, do you?”

And so, the three of you headed home, the three of you headed home, leaving the clinic and walking down the streets of Hydra Town toward the ferry landing in the east harbor. But on the entire way, you were immersed in your thoughts, brooding over your encounter with the Legendary Pokémon in the grove and trying to make sense of it all. To do so, you picked up your train of thought from earlier again: Ho-Oh declaring you as a “pure-hearted Trainer”.

The problem with that was that you weren’t even a Trainer in the first place. You had never fought a Pokémon battle before, let alone caught a wild Pokémon on your own. You had only played and worked with them so far, and all those Pokémon had either been docile, wild ones, or belonged to other people.

Heck, you’d been living on Hydrus Island your whole life, commuting between your home in Hydrus Village and your school and workplace in Hydra Town on the neighbour island nearly every day. You had never even set foot on the mainland!

But it wasn’t like you didn’t want to become a Pokémon Trainer either … sort of, at least. It was pretty much a necessity to be a Pokémon Trainer to travel across the regions because of all the wild Pokémon that could possibly attack you wherever you went.

One of the very first things you had learned from both your parents and your teachers in preschool was that you should never ever walk into tall grass if you didn’t have a Pokémon with you or at least weren’t accompanied by someone who had one. And even with your special ability, some Pokémon just weren’t open to reason and your attempts to placate them.

Anyways, the point was that, right now, you weren’t a Pokémon Trainer, just a (mostly) normal high schooler and nurse helping out at her parents’ clinic for Pokémon. Meaning that the rumour about Ho-Oh showing itself only to a pure-hearted Trainer didn’t apply to you, simple as that, and that was confusing you – very much so. Maybe the legends weren’t true after all? However, you were still seemingly the only one who had seen the rainbow-coloured bird, and that surely had to mean something.

You tightly pressed your lips together to stop an exasperated groan from escaping your throat. You had come to the realization that, no matter how much you’d rack your brains about this matter and turn it over in your mind, you simply would not find the answers to the whole multitude of questions clouding your mind, and that frustrated you to no end.

You wanted to figure out the meaning behind your encounter with the Rainbow Pokémon as quickly as possible so as to not waste any more thought on this. Unfortunately, you knew you couldn’t. You knew you couldn’t just come up with a reasonable explanation for what had happened because it was so damn weird that it was downright unexplainable for you.

Your last hope were your parents. They were the only persons you could talk to and you were (pretty) sure would believe you despite of the story about Ho-Oh sounding kind of far-fetched – no, it didn’t just sound like that, it was far-fetched. You hoped they somehow could help you or, at the very least, would listen to you so that you finally could get this off your chest. That surely would bring some relief as well.

Thus, as soon as the three of you had entered your house in Hydrus Village and you dad had closed and locked the front door behind him, you turned around to your parents without even bothering to take off your jacket and shoes first, causing both of them to pause and look at you expectantly.

“I know this is difficult to believe, but this feather,” you gingerly plucked said object from your hair and held it out to your parents, attentively watching them for a reaction to what you were about to disclose to them, “is from Ho-Oh.”


	8. ⸢ Chapter 6 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

It took a moment or two for the surprise to register on your parents’ faces, eyes widening into an incredulous stare. They, once again, exchanged looks, then did a double take and stared at you with both eyebrows raised.

“Ho-Oh?” your dad questioned, a tiny hint of disbelief lacing his words. “Are we talking about the Legendary Pokémon?”

You nodded firmly with a solemn expression on your face to show them that you were dead serious. “Yes, the Ho-Oh. It seems like I’m the only one who saw it, but there’s no doubt that I did. It showed up out of nowhere while I was in Lucus Grove, approached me, and lost one of its feathers when it flew away.” The words came gushing out of your mouth in an outburst of relief that you could finally talk to someone about what you had seen and experienced in the grove back on Hydra Island. Indeed, it felt like a weight had been lifted off your chest.

With a thoughtful hum, your dad took the feather and began examining it thoroughly, turning it in his hands and holding it up against the ceiling light to inspect all angles. Afterwards, he handed it over to your mom who did the same, looking at the feather from all sides.

“From what I’ve heard and read about Ho-Oh … Indeed, this feather looks like it belongs to it,” your mom said as she gave the feather back to you, but then corrected herself with a slight shake of her head, “No, considering the fact that it changes colour depending on the angle at which it is struck by light, it undoubtedly is one of Ho-Oh’s feathers.”

“And you said you are the only one who saw it?” your dad asked to which you wordlessly replied with a vigorous, affirmative nod. Lifting a hand to his chin, he rubbed his jaw in a pensive manner, his fingers making a quiet scratching sound as they scraped against the razor stubble. “Come to think of it, I heard a lot of patients talking about a rainbow suddenly appearing in the afternoon. I assume that must’ve been Ho-Oh?”

“Yeah, exactly,” you responded. As you looked up at your parents with hope shimmering in your eyes and tinging your voice, you felt your belly fluttering in fearful anticipation. Now came the most important question. Perhaps they knew something you didn’t. Perhaps they had an answer. “You don’t happen to know what that means, do you? That no one but me saw it? I’ve been trying to find out by myself, but the only thing I get are headaches from thinking too hard! It’s so frustrating!”

Cupping her elbow in one hand, your mom tapped a finger of the other against her chin, then said, “Well, the most known legend about Ho-Oh is that –”

“It only appears before a pure-hearted Trainer, I know,” you interrupted her, finishing her sentence after releasing the breath you didn't know you had been holding in a suppressed sigh. “I heard of the legends. But obviously, I’m not a Trainer, so that makes no sense.” All the while, you tried to keep your voice as calm and levelled as possible with the feeling of tightness slowly taking over your throat and stomach. You didn’t want to let your frustration out on your parents. Your current predicament wasn’t their fault. It was really no one’s, to be precise.

“You might not be a Trainer yet, but you are pure-hearted,” your mom countered with a kind, lopsided grin, thankfully passing over the frustrated tone in your voice you hadn’t been able to conceal. “Maybe this is your call to adventure. You always wanted to venture out into the big, wide world, didn’t you? You’ve been dreaming of that since you were little.”

“Yeah, but I wanted to do that after graduation,” you reminded them.

Her grin turning into a gentle smile, she placed a comforting hand on your shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Things never really turn out the way you expect, sweetie. It’s not unusual for kids your age to take a time out from school to start on an adventure. Just look at Kaitlyn. She left two years ago, didn’t she? Of course, you can always come back and continue with school.”

“Maybe …” you began, trailing off and contemplating your mom’s words for a moment. “Maybe you’re right. I have to give that some thought first, though.”

“You have all the time in the world. So take your time to come to a decision, honey,” your dad said, his statement supported with a nod by your mom. “No one is pressuring you. It is your decision alone, and we'll support you no matter how it turns out.”

Your parents’ words of encouragement achieved their purpose, bringing a smile to your lips and dispersing your inner turmoil of unanswered questions and troubled thoughts. Opening your arms wide, you hugged both your mom and your dad, and they both immediately put their arms around you as well. “Thank you so much. You’re the best parents in the world, I swear.”

You felt your dad grin against your hair as he said, “We know. That’s why you’re the best daughter in the world.”

“Don’t lose any sleep over this, sweetie,” your mom added, stroking your back. “If your encounter with Ho-Oh really has a deeper meaning, then you’ll probably find out soon enough, don’t you think so too?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Pulling back from their calming embrace, you brightly smiled up at your parents who were returning your smile. “I’m so glad I finally got to talk to you about this. I was driving myself crazy, trying to find an answer to why Ho-Oh showed up and I was the only one who could see it … You really, really helped me a lot. Thanks again.”

“That’s what we’re here for, honey. We are your parents, after all. You can always come talk to us about everything that’s bothering you.”


	9. ⸢ Chapter 7 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

From the corner of your eye, you saw your dad raising his hand, but when you realized what he was going to do, it was already too late, and your shying away was futile. Your hair was once again dishevelled, drawing yet another cry of protest from your lips, “Dad! No, not again! Stop that already!”

You angrily swatted his hand away and set about fixing the damages done to your hairdo while holding Ho-Oh’s feather in your mouth. The death stare you were giving him was not effective – quite the contrary. It only added to his glee.

Your mom was looking on with a smirk on her lips, clearly enjoying herself. “Have fun, you two, while I go prepare dinner. And don’t forget to take your shoes off, I don’t want you to track in dirt!” Waggling an admonitory finger at you, she slipped out of her jacket and shoes herself and then went into the kitchen.

“Well, I better excuse myself too before I end up being stabbed with that feather,” your dad joked. Making a move to mess up your hair once more, he pressed a fleeting kiss to your forehead instead and nimbly evaded your attempt to hit him in the arm. He hurried to get rid of his jacket and shoes as well before you could turn his words into action (not that you would actually ever do that). “I’m in my study!” And with these words, he disappeared upstairs to get today’s paperwork of the clinic done, leaving you in the entrance room alone with your thoughts.

Meanwhile, you had already begun to mull over what your mom had said, eyes focused on the iridescent feather in your hands. Perhaps Ho-Oh appearing before you really was like a sign of some sorts, a sign for you to become a Pokémon Trainer sooner than you had planned. This was the only (kind of) logical explanation you currently had. You were the only one who had been able to see it, after all; not to mention the fact that the Legendary Pokémon even had approached you. It had unmistakeably wanted you, and only you, to see it. And maybe … it losing a feather hadn’t just been a coincidence, but on purpose.

But that gave rise to the following question: Why the heck did the universe or who- or whatever send you such a flashy sign, just to get you to leave your hometown and start travelling across the region? What was the meaning behind that? Couldn’t it at least have been a little less … overwhelming? Something which didn’t leave you wondering why this was happening to you all of a sudden, which didn’t cause you headaches trying to understand all this?

Speaking of headaches … “Stupid Ho-Oh giving me stupid headaches,” you muttered to yourself, soothingly kneading your temples throbbing dully with slight pain.

All this thinking and pondering would, in the end, lead to nothing. It wouldn’t solve anything. But then again, what would? Talking to other people about this would be in vain; they most likely were just as clueless about this strange happening as you were, and who knew if they’d even believe you in the first place! You didn’t want to end up being called weird because you claimed to have seen Ho-Oh when no one else had.

Shaking your head to free yourself of these vexatious and headache-inducing thoughts, you put the multi-coloured feather behind your ear and finally took off your jacket and shoes too – it had been about time; you had been standing about unmovingly and losing yourself in your fruitless musings for far too long to your liking.

Right now, you could do nothing but make an effort to not think about this matter anymore and hope that it would either fade into oblivion or solve itself eventually. You really had no other choice. Hence, to enact your plan and take your mind off things, you decided to help your mom out in the kitchen, leaning into said room and spotting her preparing – to your delightful surprise – your favourite dish. Its smell alone was mouth-watering … “Do you need some help?” you asked.

Without pausing in her skillful movements, your mom averted her eyes from her work and craned her neck to look at you standing in the doorway. She gave you a warm smile. “Sure, if you want to, sweetie. Thanks.”

The evening went by uneventful and pleasantly calm – unlike the rest of your hectic and very busy day working at your family’s clinic. With your helping hand, dinner was prepared quickly, and by the time you were all seated at the dining table, your stomach was growling and your mouth was watering non-stop. (You would probably never get enough of [favourite dish].)

After you had helped your dad doing the dishes, you flopped down on the couch in the living room to watch TV with your parents until it was time for them to go to bed. Just like any other ordinary clinic, theirs was open the whole week too, including Sundays – which was tomorrow. Therefore, they had to go to bed early to get enough sleep whereas you could stay up and sleep longer than them because you would stay at home tomorrow to study for school like every other Sunday. After all, you were first and foremost a high schooler, not a nurse.

Besides, you were helping out at your parents’ small clinic purely by choice, and that was why you were free to come and go whenever you wanted to (though you spent as much as time as possible there) – on condition that you had completed the day’s homework. In addition, you of course also frequently met up with your friends from school, and that left you with a few hours two or three times a week to work at the clinic.


	10. ⸢ Chapter 8 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Around midnight, about two hours after you had wished your parents a good night with hugs and kisses and retired to your room, two hours spent lounging on your bed and surfing the web with your laptop, you got ready for bed as well, brushing your teeth and changing into your [favourite colour] pyjamas. You placed Ho-Oh’s feather on your nightstand close to your bedside, then you turned off the lights in your room before snuggling comfortably under the covers with your [favourite Pokémon] plush toy.

Unsurprisingly (but unfortunately nonetheless), your wish for sleep was not granted. Of course, this profound experience of coming face to face with a Legendary Pokémon and its effects left their mark on you, and all you did was toss and turn in bed as you tried to fall asleep.

But in the silence of the night, your mind wandered off back to the encounter with Ho-Oh and wouldn’t shut up. Not even the sound of the waves could lull you to sleep like it usually did when you lay awake in bed the night before an important test or the likes.

As much as you desperately tried to fall asleep, you simply could not do it – aside from a few times when you dozed off, but only for a couple of seconds, and then you woke up again, bothered by your restless mind, worried by the odd things going on, troubled by a racking headache.

Eventually, you were fed up with just about everything. The incessant tossing and turning, the pointless ruminations – you couldn’t take it anymore. You had to do something about this. Throwing the covers aside, you crawled out of bed and snuck out of your room, careful not to wake your parents up. After groping your way down the stairs in the dark, you headed for the moonlit kitchen where you prepared a hot milk with honey and cinnamon.

Whenever you hadn’t been able to sleep as a child, your mom had used to prepare this hot drink for you, and it had never failed to have the desired effect: You had calmed down and soon been sound asleep every time, without a doubt. You hoped it would work this time as well, after all these years.

With the warm mug in your hand, you tiptoed back upstairs into your room and gently pushed the door close behind you. You set the mug down on the bedside table, next to Ho-Oh’s feather, and sat down cross-legged on your bed, snuggling down into the covers before you reached out to take the mug.

As you sat there, silently nipping at the hot milk whilst staring blankly at the play of light and shadow on the floor in front of the window, a lump of questions was preying on your mind, cluttering and clogging it, with most of them revolving around the unknown meaning behind today’s incident.

You still didn’t know why Ho-Oh had appeared and why you were the only damn person who had seen it. Was your mom right and this was really the cue for you to set off for your own Pokémon journey like many teenagers did nowadays? But why? Did Ho-Oh really appear and put on a breath-taking show just to tell you that?

You wished you could just attach no importance whatsoever to that encounter, but you knew better than that. When a Legendary Pokémon was involved, it had to mean something – if you only knew what exactly that was. Right now, you’d kill to find that out, just so your brain would finally shut up.

“I wish someone could tell me what’s going on …” you muttered, placing the now empty mug on the bedside table. A warm feeling, emanating from your stomach, spread through your entire body as you laid back down under the covers and made yourself as comfortable as could be with a plethora of questions lingering in the back of your mind.

All this thinking, this wondering made your mind a tangled mess. You could only assume, and nothing seemed to add up. You were in dire need of sleep, yet you were being kept awake by an endless string of questions none of which you had an answer to, with a careering train of thought that just wouldn’t come to a halt. It was sheer torment.

After a while, you ceased moving (you had started to toss and turn again) and instead stared up at your room's ceiling illuminated by moonlight filtering through the blinds, lying on your back, your [favourite Pokémon] plush toy tightly locked in your arms.

Before the soothing effect of the hot milk finally kicked in and fatigue overpowered you – you didn’t know how much time had passed, maybe a few minutes, maybe an hour –, your last thoughts were directed toward your mom’s words. While contemplating whether you should follow her suggestion of you leaving Hydrus Village, the place you had been spending your entire life since the day you were born, you were enveloped in sleep’s sweet embrace, and all your thoughts and worries dissipated as you drifted off to sleep.


	11. Intermission

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Three firm, urgent knocks sounded on the solid double door, piercing the silence that had been only broken by the occasional sounds of paper and clothes rustling until then. The door’s leaves were carefully opened a moment later with minimal creaking, after a “Come in” had granted the person outside admittance, and a young woman dressed in a black bodice and suit pants entered, quietly and swiftly shutting the door behind her again.

Four pairs of eyes – one glinting curiously, the other observing warily, and the remaining two watching from the shadows – followed the woman’s movements as she crossed the room in striding steps, passing beneath the huge crystal chandelier hanging from the high ceiling, her footfalls swallowed by the heavy carpet leading to the flight of steps at the back of the room.

Meanwhile, the Mightyena lying in front of the mahogany desk on the elevated platform, having been roused from his nap by the sound of the door opening, had lifted his head to look the newcomer up and down suspiciously to gauge whether she posed a threat to his Trainer. Upon deciding that she didn’t, he opened his mouth in a wide yawn, casually showing her a row of white, razor-sharp teeth, and then placed his head back between his clawed front paws on the large, dark purple and gold ornamented rug, but kept one of his red eyes cracked open.

Stopping at the base of the stairs and deferentially sweeping down into a deep curtsy, the woman said, “Your Majesty King Ophiuchus, excuse me for interrupting, but I have important news to tell you.”

The young man, seated on a large, throne-like chair, perked up at her words, folding and resting his gloved hands on top of his slim, crossed legs, his ruby eyes fixated on the woman as he glanced past the past the stacks of documents and reports littering his desk. “Yes, what is it?”

The female grunt graciously dipped down even lower into her curtsy and then stood up straight. “There have been sightings of a rainbow suddenly appearing in the sky over Hydra Island, south of Fornax Town,” she informed him. “It seems the legendary bird has finally chosen the Destined One.”

The moment he heard these words, a wicked smirk twisted King Ophiuchus’ lips, and he leaned back into his chair and steepled his fingers together, now fully resembling a king sitting haughtily on his throne. “Finally indeed.”

“Furthermore, at roughly the same time, it was reported that a sudden landslide occurred on Mount Primo and exposed the entrance to the cave.” She paused a moment before she continued, “What do you want us to do now, Your Majesty?”

“Advise everyone of this news and commence countermeasures immediately. Everything shall go according to plan. I want the Destined One brought to me as soon as possible, at all costs.” He then dismissed the female grunt with a condescending wave of his hand.

“Understood, Your Majesty. You can count on us. The Destined One is as good as yours.” After swiftly curtsying once again, the woman took her leave.

As soon as the door was pulled shut, the shadows lingering in the corners in the back of the room, away from the flood of light spilling in through the windows, thickened, and two figures emerged, moving to stand on either side of the chair King Ophiuchus was sitting on. The pair of twins were both clad in noble clothing too.

“It was about time, wasn’t it, milord?” the male twin grinned, his piercing ice-blue eyes fixed on the King as he stood from his chair and walked to the windows.

King Ophiuchus’ smile turned into a warped smirk. “Absolutely,” he replied. With his hands clasped behind his back and his work long forgotten, he let his red-eyed gaze roam over the view that presented itself to him: a dense canopy of green leaves as far as the eye could see, seemingly impenetrable. And in the far distance, there was a structure, covered in vines and moss (it wasn’t visible this far away, but he knew it – he had been there before, oh so many times) and barely looming over the treetops, difficult to spot among the leafy carpet. The Sealed Chamber.

His insides were quaking in nervous, yet eager anticipation. After all these years, decades, centuries even, the time had finally come. He couldn’t believe it. He would be the one in his lineage chosen to achieve what his ancestors hadn’t been able to, what they had patiently waited for to occur all this time – in vain. This is what he had been prepared for his whole life. This was the sole purpose of his existence.

“What do you want us to do, milord?” the pair’s female twin asked in her usual monotone voice. The hip-length curls of her glossy, golden hair rippled across her back as she turned her head to look at the King, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“For now, I want you to sit back and await further instructions,” he answered without looking at them. “If my vassals don’t succeed in laying hold of the Destined One, then you will take action. Remember, persuading the Destined One to join us by choice has priority. But if everything else fails, force will have to do.”

“Understood,” the pair of twins said in perfect unison and returned to their respective corner of the room, merging with the shadows as they resumed their seats in two armchairs, invisible to the bare eye, but always there.

The Dark-type Pokémon rose from his spot in front of the wooden desk and trotted over to his Trainer, sitting down at his side and looking out the window as well.

King Ophiuchus rested his hand on top of the Mightyena’s head, his fingers gliding through the smooth, gray and black fur. “Soon, you will be mine, Destined One. And with you, the Original One and its power will belong to me,” he mumbled to himself, the grin still present on his thin lips.

* * *

_You will be mine,_

_Destined One._

_I will not rest until you are._


	12. ⸢ Chapter 9 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Thin rays of morning sunlight hit your eyelids, seeping through the thick, dark layer of sleep engulfing you. It was accompanied by the incessant beeping of your alarm clock ringing in your ear and mercilessly dragging you by your feet out of your sweet, sweet dreams.

With a groan, you blindly reached for the alarm clock on your nightstand, fumbling for its snooze button. After finally silencing the obnoxious alarm, you uttered a content sigh as you sank back beneath the covers and rolled onto your side to escape the light leaking through the cracks in your curtains. You’d get up in a few minutes. You were yet reluctant to wake from your blissful slumber.

Curled up around your plush toy and hugging it tightly to your chest, you felt yourself slowly drifting off to sleep again, but that was when a thought, a realization crossed your groggy mind. Was … Was your plush toy breathing? It felt like it was ... But that wasn’t possible. Plush toys were inanimate objects, they couldn’t breathe … could they? No, no, what were you thinking, they weren’t living beings, just mere toys … You were imagining things. Nodding to yourself as if confirming your own musings, you nuzzled closer to your beloved [favourite Pokémon] toy.

But wait … That wasn’t your toy’s silky smooth fur pressed against your cheek. That felt an awful lot like … skin? Huh. Your toy wasn’t supposed to have skin … Assuming this really wasn't your plush toy ... then what exactly was it you were hugging to your chest right now? In your half-asleep state, you began palpating the … object locked in your arms. It was about the size of your plush toy, but it had a different form and, most important of all, skin. Also, it was clearly breathing and trying to wriggle its way out of your embrace.

However, your sleep-hazed brain wasn’t able to connect the dots yet, wasn’t able to fully realize that the thing you were embracing was very much alive and therefore indeed not your plush toy. At least it did register that the thing was breathing and moving, but alas, it didn’t know what to make of that information. Your train of thought simply didn’t go any farther than the realization that your “plush toy” was a living being.

With a long, hearty yawn, you stretched luxuriously under the covers, keeping your grip on your “toy” firm as it was still squirming and writhing. Then, you laid back down into the soft mattress of your bed, sighing contentedly once again. Your eyes opened slowly, lazily. You had to blink a few times to adjust them to the bright sunlight that was filtering through the blinds before you looked down at yourself – only for your eyes to meet widened, tangerine ones that were staring right back at you. Definitely not your plush toy.

A hot blush blossomed on the Feeling Pokémon’s face, and it intensified its frantic efforts to break free from the grasp you still had on it. Though in the process of its flailing about, its limbs got entangled in the covers, much to the Pokémon’s dismay.

At that moment, all you could do was watch, taken completely by surprise and literally stunned into silence by this unexpected sight, while you tried to process everything. On your chest lay a shiny Ralts – you immediately recognized it as one of the two siblings you had rescued from a pack of Poochyena in Lucus Grove yesterday, but you weren’t sure which one it was; the male or the female sibling. This question of yours was answered a moment later when an (unmistakably feminine) giggle of malignant pleasure sounded next to you. That finally yanked you out of your sleep-addled lethargy.

Suddenly wide awake, you abruptly let go of the male Ralts and jerked into an upright position, a squeal of surprise flying from your lips. Throwing the covers off your body and the small Pokémon with them – the laughter grew louder at that –, you scrambled out of bed and away from it to put some distance between you and the two Pokémon. “What in the name of Arceus are you doing here?!” you demanded, your voice laced with a mixture of vexation and reproval as you pointed an accusatory finger at them. Never in your wildest dreams had you expected to see these two again – especially not in your bed!

The male was helplessly flailing about, his limbs entangled in the covers he was buried beneath. The female was sitting next to your pillow and holding her sides as she laughed at her brother’s struggle. Her laughter died down within seconds, and she wiped tears from her eyes before directing a big, cheerful smile at you.

“You practically saved our lives, so we wanted to show our gratitude and join your team!” she answered matter-of-factly. She then looked over to her brother who had managed to crawl out from beneath the bundle of covers in the meantime, but still had to fight his way out of their tangle. “Isn’t that right, brother?”

Said brother froze in his desperate struggling upon being spoken to and lifted his head just enough to glance at his sister. “I-It is,” he stuttered feebly, his pinkish red eyes darting over to you ever so briefly.

Feeling a small smile involuntarily twisting your lips upwards at this adorable sight, you breathed a resigned sigh and shook your head slightly in disapproval. You weren’t the type to stay mad at people for long, especially not at Pokémon who were far too cute for their own good, like those two on your bed.

“Couldn’t you have at least waited for me to be back at the clinic?” you gently scolded them whilst walking over to them. “You can’t break into other people’s houses and sleep in their bed with them just because you want to join their Pokémon team. That doesn’t really make a good impression.”

“Sorry, but we just couldn’t wait! We wanted to meet you again as soon as possible!” the female dual-type Pokémon replied, her whole behaviour emanating zest as she stood as tall as she could with her height of a mere 40 centimeters, her small fists clenched at her side. But then, a sly grin flitted across her face when she added, “But in our defence, we were sleeping at the foot of the bed at first, but it was you who suddenly snatched my brother away to cuddle with him.”


	13. ⸢ Chapter 10 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The female Ralts snickered at both her brother’s and your own cheeks being suffused with colour in an embarrassed blush which increased tenfold in his case when your eyes met, and her laughter only increased when her brother averted his gaze from you to give her a meek glare.

You, too, couldn’t help but join in her laughing, a soft giggle escaping your lips. “I’m really sorry about that, cutie pie,” you said with an apologetic, sheepish smile as you sat down on the edge of the bed. “I thought you were my plush toy. I hope I didn’t hurt you, what with your injuries and such.” And you had even felt him up (in a non-sexual way, of course) more than just a little … What a fantastic way to start your day by unintentionally harassing a cute, innocent, little Pokémon. Poor him.

“N-No, y-you didn’t, d-don’t worry,” the male Ralts mumbled, eyes cast down shyly.

“That’s good to hear. I’m also glad to see you’re both up and about again.” Leaning over, you freed him from the bunched up covers and afterwards sat him down on your lap, a gesture which turned him into a blushing mess and put a broad grin on his sister’s face. “But how did you even manage to get here? How did you know where I live?”

Hopping up onto your lap as well, she sat next to her brother on your knee and dangled her short legs. “Well, the islands are too far apart for us to just teleport over here, so we sneaked on the first ferry to leave Hydra Town, and then we just followed your,” she trailed off as if searching for the right word to use, “your aura to this house and teleported into your room. Piece of cake.”

“Wow, really? That’s impressive! Well, I really appreciate that you made the effort to come all the way here just to tell me that you want to join my Pokémon team.” You gave them a sweet smile which warped into a crooked one a second later as you awkwardly scratched your cheek. “But I’m afraid that was for nothing, sorry. There’s no team you could join. I’m not a Pokémon Trainer, y’know?”

“Then you’ll just become one!” the female Ralts sibling said decidedly and then continued in an adamant tone that didn’t really allow you to make any objections, “As of now, we’re the first two Pokémon in your team!”

“O-Of course, only if y-you’re okay w-with that …” her brother added in a quiet voice, but you only took half note of that because you were staring fixedly at his sister.

The unadulterated resolution in her voice, in her entire demeanour even, got you thinking. You still hadn’t reached a decision about whether or not you should take your encounter with the legendary bird Ho-Oh as a prompt to leave your hometown like your mom had said. This would upset your plan of travelling across the region after you had graduated from school, but on the other hand …

While you were nibbling on your lower lip and letting out a quiet, continuous hum, absorbed in thought, your gaze unconsciously wandered to the Rainbow Pokémon’s multi-coloured feather lying next to the empty mug on your nightstand. It was dazzling, and you were left blinking as it caught the light of the sun oozing into your room and began sparkling.

Heck, maybe there was something like fate. Maybe your mom had guessed right. Maybe the time had come for you to become a Pokémon Trainer. What was there to lose anyway? If travelling across the region wasn't your thing after all, you could just come back to Hydrus Village and pick up where you had left off in school and your life, as simple as that. The same went for when you had completed your Pokémon journey and wanted to return to your former life.

This was your chance. This was the perfect opportunity. Every Pokémon Trainer needed a Pokémon to accompany them when they started their journey; some of them were hand-picked by their region’s respective Pokémon Professor to complete a task for them – such as gathering information for the region’s Pokédex – and got a starter Pokémon from them to do so.

You had originally planned on going to Apus Town, located on the coast north-east to Hydra Town, to visit the Pokémon Lab there and try your luck at asking Professor Hyperion to let you have one of his starters. But now here you were, with not only one, but with two Pokémon offering to be your starter ones. If you accepted, you could save yourself the trouble of having to go all the way to Apus Town for what might turn out to be absolutely nothing – because who knew if the Professor would really give you one of his starter Pokémon …

You probably wouldn’t get such a chance ever again. And who could say no to Pokémon as cute as these two? It seemed like today was the day you would overthrow all the plans you had made for the time after school. Scrap waiting two more years. You would do it now. With your age of 16 years, you could already be considered quite old for someone to start their Pokémon journey, seeing as most kids started theirs at the tender age of 10. But something as trivial as that wouldn’t stop you from making your dreams come true.

You still had to make lots of travel preparations, though, like stocking up on Poké Balls, herbal medicine – they were your specialty as a nurse after all –, and a couple of other items. (You had begun saving money to be able to afford them all some time ago; you just hoped the money would be enough.) Luckily, you already had a PokéNav Plus, so you didn’t have to spend money on that. You had gotten it from your parents as a birthday gift several years ago, but up until now, you had merely used it to call your friends and video-chat with them.

But most importantly, of course, you had to tell your parents about all this, tell them that you had now made up your mind.


	14. ⸢ Chapter 11 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Well,” you began, looking down at the two Feeling Pokémon on your lap who were both returning your look with a spark of curiosity in their eyes, your smile as bright as ever, “when you put it that way, I guess that’s completely fine by me.”

Near-instantly, the Ralts siblings were smiling back at you, wide grins working their way across their faces and into their striking magenta eyes. They seemed to be equally delighted by your positive answer, though the female dual-type Pokémon expressed her elation in a much more obvious manner, practically squealing in joy whilst jumping up and down on your legs. Her brother, on the contrary, continued to stay put, seemingly a bit embarrassed by her behaviour.

“Great!” she exclaimed cheerily, having stopped in her jumping only to speak to you in an intelligible manner. “When will we leave? Today?”

You chuckled at her adorable display of excitement. “My, my, aren’t we eager? But I don’t think so. My parents will finish work this evening around seven o’clock, and I have to wait until then before I can talk to them. I’ve got to tell them about my decision, but I don’t want to disturb them at work. And I want to get a good night’s sleep before I set off. That’s why we’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Aw, what a shame. And I thought we would leave right away.” She had begun pouting a little, but then she slowly nodded to herself. “But I guess what you are saying makes more sense.”

“It sure does. I can’t just up and leave unprepared without telling anyone where I went, now can I? And as you know, I just got out of bed. I’m still in my pyjamas, and I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet,” you playfully chided her with a grin. “There’s no need to hurry. We have all the time in the world.”

The sensation of someone lightly tugging at your pyjama top’s sleeve caused you to look from the female Ralts over to her brother. “I-I apologize f-for my sister,” he quietly said, his eyes darting back and forth between your face and somewhere entirely else. “S-She’s a-always trying to g-get her own way. P-Please ignore h-her.”

“Look who’s talking, brother,” she retorted immediately, arms crossed over her chest and cheeks puffed up. “Just earlier you said you couldn’t wait to go on a journey with her, so don’t act like you don’t want to leave as soon as possible.” Another one of those sly smirks spread over her lips, and she looked at him knowingly. “You’re just trying to get on her good side, aren’t you?”

In a matter of seconds, he had gone beet red – either because that remark had hit home, or because he plainly was embarrassed by his sister’s suggestion, you couldn’t tell. But, either way, you chose to let this one slide as to not make the poor Pokémon any more uncomfortable.

“Let’s make a compromise,” you spoke up, drawing the Pokémon siblings’ attention back to you. “We’ll leave tomorrow, but I’ll go with you to the grove on Hydra Island later, and we can train there if you want to. I need to go to Hydra Town anyway, gotta buy some stuff. That’d kill two birds with one stone. How does that sound, huh?”

The sister of the pair nodded vigorously. “Sounds great! Doesn’t it, brother?” she asked, casting a glance to him; he mimicked her nod shyly, but nonetheless enthusiastically.

“Awesome! That’s settled then.” After the Feeling Pokémon had jumped from your legs, you stood up and walked towards your closet to choose your outfit for today, but you only got a few steps before spinning back around. “I haven’t even told you my name yet, have I? Now that we’re a team, that’s a must! Well then,” you cleared your throat and flashed them a beaming smile, “I’m [First name] [Last name]! Nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too, [Name]!” the female Ralts chirped joyfully, almost drowning out her brother’s quiet voice as he said the exact same words.

“Do you want me to give you nicknames?”

She nodded her head, still smiling broadly. “Sure, why not? Go right ahead!”

“Alright, let me think …” You crossed your arms and stroked your chin pensively. How should you call them? You didn’t want to give them silly nicknames like most boys in your school did with their Pokémon. “Broski” and “Ravioli” were pretty good examples for such nicknames.

Because you could communicate with Pokémon, you found it weird to address them with their given nicknames. To you, it felt just like talking to another person – a person called “Derp.” The two siblings standing in front of you on the edge of your bed and looking up at you intently with an air of excited expectancy about them … They deserved nice, cute names, matching their behaviour.

Just then, two perfectly fitting nicknames for them crossed your mind in a flash of inspiration. You repeated the names softly to yourself, feeling the sound roll off your tongue as you nodded, first slowly, then determined. With a grin, you crouched down in front of the Ralts. “I’ll call you Raleia,” you gently placed a hand on the sister’s head, “and you Rineis,” you said, placing your other hand on her brother’s head. “Alright?”

“I-I like my name. I-It sounds n-nice,” Rineis smiled.

“Same here! I love it!” Raleia exclaimed in a sing-song voice.

Smiling fondly, you rubbed the top of their heads with your hands. “Glad to hear that. Well then!” You felt a sudden surge of energy filling you as you stood in one swift motion. Brimming, bursting with energy for the day, like you could take on everything and everyone. “Let’s get ready and started!”

“Yeah!”

Your future was set; you would embark on a Pokémon journey and try to become a Pokémon Master – and help every Pokémon in need you would come across with your skills as a nurse. But little did you know that your future would be far, far more than that ...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how you pronounce the two Ralts' names:  
> Raleia: RAH-LEY-AH  
> Rineis: RIH-NEH-IS


	15. Intermission ⁽¹⁾

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The little bell above the door of the café tinkled as it swung open, and in barged a man with windswept, but still spiky, blonde hair. Ignoring the startled and reproachful looks he got from the café’s customers, he frantically looked around the warm, cosy room until his gaze fell upon two persons sitting at one of the tables in the back and drinking coffee, their colour-themed attire standing out.

The man hurried to them, slipping past tables, customers, waiters, and waitresses, pulled over a chair from a nearby table, and plunked down into it unceremoniously, exhaling a big, exhausted sigh.

“You’re late,” one of the persons remarked flatly, lifting his azure eyes from his steaming cup to give him a disapproving look the blonde man knew all too well, having seen this display of reproof from his white-haired friend many times already – so many times that he had lost count long ago.

“Sorry, I got distr–” Spark began to apologize, but quickly shut his mouth again as soon as he realized that he had almost let the real reason for his (not exactly unusual) tardiness slip. Clearing his throat, he said with utter conviction in a last-ditch attempt to win his friends over, “I got held up, is all. Now that I’m here, it doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

Blanche’s annoyed sigh was muffled by the cup of coffee he had been about to take a sip from, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “And by what did you get ‘held up,’ if I may ask?”

“I bet five bucks that it was a Pokémon,” the third person piped up after she had taken a swig of her coffee. The dark-skinned woman flashed her pearly-white teeth at Spark in a roguish grin. “Am I right or am I right?”

“Well, yeah! I came across a Pachirisu that couldn’t find its trainer, so of course, I had to help! That’s what everyone would do!” he said, defending himself, and pursed his lips in a pout, his arms crossed over his chest. “I had difficulties finding my way around at first, and then I got lost,” he trailed off, scratching his neck bashfully, but then spoke up again, “but in the end, I managed to bring it back, that’s all that counts!”

Just then, a waitress stepped up to the table the three friends were sitting at, holding a menu in her hands. “Would you like to order, sir?” she asked, her radiant smile directed at Spark only.

His sulky mood vanished in the blink of an eye. He smiled up at the young woman just as brightly, making her believe that he was reciprocating her flirt – which he wasn’t in the least, and both Candela and Blanche knew that; it was far more likely that he hadn’t even realized her intent. “Sure thing! I’ll have a cup of coffee –”

“He’ll take a simple glass of water,” Blanche cut him off brusquely, without even looking at him, instead looking at the waitress with a polite smile on his lips, “thank you.”

Cue Spark going back to sulking.

With a brief nod of his head, Blanche signalled the woman to leave, and then, he turned to his blonde friend who had now puffed his cheeks out into an even sillier pout. “You don’t need caffeine, you are hyperactive as it is. That would be equal to adding fuel to the flames.”

Spark sank deeper into the chair in childish defiance. “You’re so mean,” he muttered. “I wanted coffee, not a stupid glass of water. I’m not a child anymore!”

“But you sure are behaving like one.” Before Spark could retort something, Blanche had already continued talking, “Don’t talk back now. We are not here to argue. There is a far more important matter at hand we must take care of immediately. Let’s concentrate on that, shall we?”

“Right.” In an instant, Candela’s previously smiling face was set in a grim expression. She leaned forward and placed her elbows on the table, resting her chin on her hand. “You called us because of them, didn’t you?”

“Precisely,” Blanche said with a short nod. “They became active all of a sudden. I have never seen so many of them leave their HQ all at once, and this can only mean one thing …”

“I spotted a couple of them on my way here, but that’s not really difficult to do. They stand out like a sore thumb with that old-fashioned clothing of theirs.”

Spark nodded in affirmation. “Yeah, me too. Seems like the prophecy’s begun at last.”


	16. Intermission ⁽²⁾

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“I’m actually surprised that there are still so many people part of that organisation after all these years.” Candela gazed into the shining black liquid in her cup while swirling it around slowly as though an answer to her question was hidden in the depths of the coffee.

“I believe ‘centuries’ is the more accurate term, although their origins are difficult to trace back to a particular century. Alas, there are no records of the exact date they were formed.” Blanche shook his head, then cleared his throat to gain his two friends’ attention. “But we are digressing. We must find the Destined One before they do. It’s best we split up,” he recommended. “That way, we can cover larger areas. Whoever finds the Destined One first contacts the other two.”

“And, if needed, we’ll protect the Destined One,” Candela added decisively. “They must not get their hands on them under any circumstances.”

“I agree. Our priority is to find the Destined One and keep them safe, whatever the cost. We have to make sure that they won’t fall into their hands. Once the Destined One is out of harm’s way, we will take care of them,” Blanche said and was about to give more instructions to his friends, but he was interrupted by the waitress from earlier appearing at their table.

“Here you go, sir.” Flashing Spark a charming smile, she gracefully took the glass of water from the tray she was carrying single-handedly and set it down on the table in front of the blonde, bending over just enough to show a little too much skin.

Just as expected by both Candela and Blanche, their friend utterly failed to pick up on the woman’s rather obvious attempt to flirt with him. He just gave her one of his trademark, sunny grins, his yellow-eyed gaze drifting not once anywhere near her partly revealed cleavage. “Thanks!” And that was it.

Waiting patiently for the waitress to be out of earshot so that she wouldn’t listen in on their confidential conversation, Blanche’s eyes followed her as she walked away. Given the fact that she was swaying her hips more than necessary, she didn’t seem disheartened by this failed attempt, quite the contrary; she looked even more determined to get Spark to notice her. A complete waste of time and effort, in Blanche’s opinion.

“I will take care of the coastal area including the two islands,” he then continued. “Candela, I put you in charge of the area along Fatum Forest. And you, Spark, will search the area around Mount Circinus for the Destined One.”

“Alright, got it!” Spark downed the glass and banged it down on the table, the loud sound drawing the attention (and disapproval) of everyone in the café – including his friends –, but he didn’t notice that because he was too much in a hurry already. “Better not be wasting any time! See ya and good luck!” He had hardly finished talking before he leapt to his feet and dashed out of the café, waving to his two friends through the window front. The next second, he was gone.

A simultaneous sigh passed over both Candela’s and Blanche’s lips. They quickly finished up their coffee in mutual silence and then waved the waitress over who noticed with a disappointed look on her face that her object of desire had already left, depriving her of the chance to slip him her number. After paying – for Spark’s glass of water as well –, the two left the café in a more civilized manner than their perky friend.

“Well then, in Spark’s words, see you and good luck, Blanche! We’ll thwart their plans and find the destined one before they do for sure!” Candela gave him a grin and an encouraging thumbs-up.

“We have to,” Blanche replied, his expression grim. “Good luck to you too, Candela.”

While Candela ran in the opposite direction that Spark had gone into, soon disappearing into the crowd, Blanche threw one of his Poké Balls high into the air. He lithely jumped up onto the back of his Swanna who emitted a loud cry, sensing her Trainer’s determination, before flying off into the distance with powerful strokes of her wings.

* * *

_Don’t you worry,_

_Destined One._

_We will keep you safe._


	17. ⸢ Chapter 12 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Are you ready?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be! Right, brother?”

“Y-Yes …”

You were currently standing at the beginning of the gravel path connecting Hydra Town with Lucus Grove, with Raleia and Rineis on either side of you as the three of you stared ahead. Adrenaline was rushing through your veins, making your heartbeat quicken and evoking a fluttery feeling in the pit of your stomach. You were so pumped for just about everything that would come! Training here with the two Ralts, going on your very own and long-awaited Pokémon journey … You couldn’t wait!

You had been in a big hurry nonstop since the moment you had settled on going to Hydra Island with the two siblings, running about the place to try and get things done as quickly as possible – getting dressed, having breakfast with your Pokémon, emptying the money box in form of a Poké Ball standing on your desk and putting a part of that money in your wallet so that you’d be able to pay for the things you would buy in Hydra Town ...

You had also decided to put Amelia’s idea into action and carefully glued Ho-Oh’s colourful feather to a plain [favourite colour], plastic headband you had dug out from your chest of drawers (and which you were wearing right now). Furthermore, you had checked the second most important thing off your to-do list: Packing the stuff you would need for your journey into your favourite bag, such as a change of clothes, the rest of the money you had kept for future use (like today), a handful of non-perishable snacks, and a large bottle of water.

But apparently, it still hadn’t been fast enough for Raleia as she had been bustling around your feet the whole time you were hurrying to gather everything and neatly put it in the bag so as to not waste any precious space. She had tugged at your clothes every now and then and told you to hurry up – or, generally speaking, constantly demanded your attention. Of course, all of this had impeded you greatly.

Neither her brother Rineis nor you had gotten her to calm down and leave you be so that you could finish up your tasks in peace, without being distracted (or in other words: held up) every two minutes or so. She had been far too excited to just sit still and do nothing. Frankly, you had been (and still were) just as thrilled as her, if not more so. With this energy pulsing through your body, you had been able to get everything done in due time to catch a ferry despite the endless interruptions.

Then, over on Hydra Island, you had paid the Poké Mart and the small herb shop nearby a quick visit to buy some Poké Balls and herbal medicine, respectively, stowing everything away in a small [colour] shoulder bag. You’d also had a nice chat with a bunch of your classmates you had met in front of a small café which was popular with the teens.

Having been surprised to see you walking around with Pokémon that didn’t seem to be patients of your family’s clinic but rather belong to you, they had quizzed you about the two Ralts running around freely. (They both had refused to go into their assigned Poké Balls, claiming that they wanted to be at your side all the time, and being inside a Poké Ball would stop them from doing so.)

Raleia had basked in all the attention she had received, eliciting high-pitched squeals of joy from the girls by frolicking around in an adorable manner, whereas Rineis had hidden behind your legs like a shy child at first, visibly flustered because of all the eyes that were on him.

You had managed to coax him out of his hiding spot – laughing off a joking remark from one of your classmates that your Pokémon seemed to understand you (if they only knew) – though you’d still had to hold him by the hand to soothe his nervousness, a sight which the girls had immediately swooned over.

When you had told your classmates that you had decided to go on a Pokémon journey, they all had been genuinely happy for you, giving you thumbs-up and claps on the back as they congratulated you, saying that “it was about time” and that they were sure you’d make an awesome Pokémon Trainer.

Their cheering words fresh in your mind, fuelling your excitement and reinforcing your decision to realize your childhood dream, you had taken your leave and continued on your way, your steps quickened by their encouragement, which brought you to where you were at the present moment: at the start of the gravel path leading to Lucus Grove.

As you stood there, arms akimbo and eyes roaming along the landscape lush with greenery and the clear, bright blue sky, a thrill shot through you at the thought of what you were going to do, fanning the flames of eagerness burning in your core.

You were going to leave the two islands you called your home, leave behind your family and friends, and venture out into the big, wide world – or at least the Virno region for a start. You’d visit cities, towns, and villages you had never been to, travel routes you had never seen before. It was a frightening, yet exciting thought that sent a tingling feeling all over your body and caused your heartbeat to pick up speed.

At this very moment, while a light breeze was ruffling the hem of your shirt and playing with your [colour] locks, you felt like you could take on everything and everyone and overcome any challenges and obstacles that you’d encounter with your two Pokémon at your side.

A big grin spread over your lips, and you pushed your hair back from your face with a forceful sweep of your hand and then fixed the strap of your bag. “Let’s do this!” you exclaimed, pumping your fist into the air. But just as you wanted to take a step forward and officially set foot on the rock-strewn path for the first time with the intention of fighting Pokémon battles here, you heard someone shouting your name.


	18. ⸢ Chapter 13 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Turning around to see who it was, you spotted four figures in the distance running towards you. One of them was waving their arms wildly to attract your attention, as if the fact that they were constantly calling for you – “Hey, [Nickname]! Wait up!” – hadn’t already done the trick. Upon realizing who they were, your furrowed brows flattened immediately, and you began to grin widely and wave back at them. “Hey, guys!” you shouted to them, your hands cupped around your mouth.

“W-Who are they?” Rineis asked. “Do y-you know them?” He had moved closer to you as soon as he had caught sight of the girls and was now watching them nervously.

“Your friends?” Raleia was the complete opposite of her brother; she seemed eager to get to know them, her eyes fixed on the approaching persons with a happy smile on her lips.

“Yep! I’ll introduce them to you in a minute.”

As your four friends quickly came nearer, you noticed that they all seemed to be out of breath to varying extents as if they had been running around for a while now, with light films of sweat glistening on their foreheads in the warm midday sun.

The one who had been waving her arms like crazy – her name was Alex – bent forward, her walnut brown ponytail falling over her shoulder, and placed her hands on her knees to catch her breath once she had stopped in front of you. “Finally,” she said between heavy pants. “Finally, we found you.”

“What’s up?” you asked, your eyebrows raised in curiosity. “Were you looking for me or what?”

May nodded her head. “Yeah. We wanted to visit you, but on our way to the ferry landing, we met one of our classmates, and she told us that you are walking around with two Pokémon at your side. So, of course, we had to see that for ourselves.” At the end of her sentence, four pairs of curious eyes were fixated on said Pokémon, regarding them with appraising gazes. Almost instantly, you felt your jeans being pulled as Rineis hid behind you yet again to escape your friends’ keen stares, clutching fistfuls of the fabric.

Turning around, you crouched down to his level, a gentle smile playing about your lips, and placed a hand on his head, his magenta eyes, widened in fright, locking with your [colour] ones. “Hey, cutie pie, there’s no need to be afraid,” you cooed. “They’re all super friendly.”

“He’s a shy one, isn’t he?” Lina remarked.

“Yeah, you could say so.”

“Aw, c’mon, brother, not again,” Raleia complained, rolling her eyes, and playfully punched her brother in the shoulder as if she was trying to knock some sense into him – literally. “Pull yourself together. They’re [Name]’s friends! Can’t you sense their positive feelings? Just like she said, there’s no need for you to be afraid of them!”

A few unintelligible murmurs left Rineis’ mouth, but otherwise, he remained silent, squirming under your touch and shuffling his feet. His eyes flickered over to your friends standing behind you and then back to you before being cast down bashfully. “A-Alright …” he mumbled. “If y-you say so …”

“Yeah, of course. You’ve got nothing to fear, I promise.” Lovingly patting his head while giving him a reassuring smile, you gently took his hand in yours and made a move to stand up, but the sensation of small hands clinging to the back of your shirt made you freeze mid-movement. “Raleia, what in the world are you –”

The next second, her thin legs appeared in your field of view and loosely wrapped themselves around your neck, and you felt the dual-type Pokémon’s weight on both your shoulders as she made herself comfortable on her perch.

“Oh my gosh! That’s so cute!” Alex squealed. Although you couldn’t see her because you still had your back turned to her, you were sure that she had her hands pressed against her cheeks in delight, her eyes twinkling.

“Yay!” Raleia warbled, kicking her legs cheerfully – your free hand immediately flew up to hold her secure. “It’s so cool up here! Stand up, stand up!” To emphasize her demand, she repeatedly patted your head with those tiny hands of hers.

You snorted out a quiet, amused sigh and complied with a slight shake of your head, drawing yourself up to your full height and thus obtaining cheers and whoops of joy from her. “Next time, just ask if you want to sit on my shoulders, alright? I can lift you up so you don’t have to jump on my back and climb up yourself.”

“S-She’s right … You c-could have fallen a-and hurt yourself …” Rineis pointed out as he gazed up at his sister with concern apparent in his eyes.

“Aw, nice, you let me sit here more often?” Completely ignoring him, Raleia let out another cheer when you nodded your head in response to her question. “Awesome! Then I’ll ask you next time!”

“You do that. And now I’ll finally introduce you to each other.”

Your friends had been following your conversation with the two dual-type Pokémon closely, looking on interestedly, although to them, it seemed like you were talking to yourself, receiving answers they couldn’t understand and only heard as cries. Now, upon being spoken to, they all began to smile.

You pointed to your four friends, introducing them one at a time to your Pokémon. “These are my childhood friends, Kristie, Alex, May, and Lina.” Then, you did the same with the two Ralts. “Guys, these are Raleia and Rineis.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“N-Nice to meet y-you …”

“They both say, ‘nice to meet you,’” you translated for your friends.

“Nice to meet you too!” the four of them answered at the same time, with Alex and Kristie giggling afterwards.

“You finally got yourself a Pokémon, but not only one, but two, and shiny ones at that! I’d be lying if I said I weren’t at least a little jealous.” May grinned lopsidedly at you. “Did you catch them yourself?” she then asked. “Or did you get them from your parents?”

You shook your head no. “Neither, actually. I saved them from a pack of Poochyena yesterday and treated them at the clinic, only to find them sleeping in my bed with me this morning. They wanted to be a part of my Pokémon party, that’s why they came all the way to my house.”

“They came to you to join your team? You didn’t even have to catch them? That’s freaking awesome! May, count me in on being jealous!” Alex exclaimed, a broad smirk splitting her face, and clapped you on the back repeatedly. “Damn, [Nickname], way to go! I’m so happy for you!”

You grunted with pain, grimacing at the first impact of her hand on your skin; nonetheless, a genuine smile twitched at your lips. “Thanks.”


	19. ⸢ Chapter 14 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Suddenly, the brunette girl sucked in a sharp breath and halted in her movements. Her arm was drawn back for another congratulatory slap on the back that didn’t come, and you sighed with relief. “But wait a moment!” she gasped loudly and stared at you, wide-eyed. “Don’t tell me …! Does that mean you’ll go on a Pokémon journey?!”

Nodding, you grinned at your friends who were awaiting your answer with bated breath. “Yep.”

“But didn’t you want to do that after graduation?” Lina wondered, confused, her brows knitted.

“Yeah, you’re right. But, to quote my mom, ‘things never really turn out the way you expect.’ These two cuties,” you nodded to Raleia sitting on your shoulders and Rineis holding onto your hand, “were the impulse.”

“I take it,” May said, “that was because they showed up and wanted to join your team, right?”

“Exactly.”

“And did you already tell your parents?” Alex asked excitedly.

“Not yet. I’m gonna do that this evening.” You fell silent for a moment or two, silently asking yourself if it was alright to tell them the whole truth, and deciding that, yes, it was, because they’d been your best friends since you were little and deserved to know what had been inwardly harrowing you just yesterday. And if they didn’t believe you, you had the feather as proof. They had to believe your words to be true then, didn’t they?

“You don’t look so good all of a sudden. Is everything alright?” Kristie was scrutinizing you with worried, cerulean eyes, her delicate features contracted into a frown.

“More or less. You must know that they weren’t the only impulse. Something else was too, actually.”

“What do you mean?”

Quickly, you looked around to see if someone else was nearby, like another Pokémon Trainer, but saw no one. Nevertheless, you motioned your four friends to follow you as you walked off the street, just to be on the safe side in case someone should walk past here so that they couldn’t unintentionally eavesdrop.

“What’s wrong, [Nickname]?” May queried urgently, her words laced by concern. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah.” Crouching, you carefully let Raleia slide from your shoulders and down your back onto the ground, but before you could stand up again, the two siblings took hold of each of your hands.

“You’re gonna tell them about Ho-Oh, aren’t you?” Raleia asked.

You looked at her, surprised. “You saw it too? I thought you had already fainted.”

“I-I’m sure they w-will believe you. D-Don’t worry,” Rineis replied without really answering your question.

His sister gave your hand she was holding an encouraging squeeze. “Friends trust each other blindly, don’t they? Have faith in them!”

A tender smile worked its way across your face, and you squeezed their hands in return. Then, you stood and stepped closer to your four friends who instinctively did the same. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone about this, alright?”

They exchanged looks, confusion and worry written all over their faces, and nodded their agreement simultaneously.

“Whatever it is you tell us, we’ll keep silent about it, promise,” May solemnly said.

“Thank you.” Then you continued, your voice barely above a whisper, “You might call me crazy, but I saw Ho-Oh yesterday, when I was in Lucus Grove. I swear it’s true.” It felt like déjà vu as you stood there and anxiously awaited your friends’ reactions to your revelation, like you had been with your parents yesterday evening. Time seemed to slow down while your heartbeat and breathing both accelerated.

A vortex of doubting questions arose in your head, and you began gnawing at your lower lip. Would they believe you so easily like your parents had? You had the feather, but would they accept it as proof? Or would they dismiss you as crazy because you claimed to have seen a Legendary Pokémon that had been (for whatever reasons anyway) invisible to everyone else?

You shook your head to drive away these nagging thoughts. What were you thinking? The five of you had been friends a little for more than ten years now, an inseparable, close-knit clique. You had experienced so much together, good as well as bad things. You always told each other everything. You had even confided your most closely guarded secret to them, and they had believed you without doubting you once. They were your best friends. They would believe you now as well. They just had to.

“You saw the Rainbow Pokémon?” Lina questioned. She was eyeing you with her brows drawn together, as if searching for signs that you were lying or trying to pull their leg. “Are you completely sure?”

“Completely and absolutely sure. Remember the rainbow that suddenly appeared over the grove? That was Ho-Oh. The thing is, only I saw it, but I don’t know why. Here, I’ve got proof,” you asserted them and showed them the plastic headband you were wearing after taking it off. “You see this feather? Ho-Oh dropped it.”

May took the headband from your hands and studied it, turning it this way and that way and thus causing it to sparkle in the sunlight and glow in different colours as Kristie, Alex, and Lina leaned in closer to look at it too. “It’s in seven colours, just like the legends say,” she slowly noted, her azure eyes fixed on the feather, staring at it in incredulity.

You nodded vigorously. “I told you! It’s Ho-Oh’s feather! It showed up out of nowhere, flew about for a minute or so, and then left again. And it dropped this feather.”

Silence settled between you, and it was an uncomfortable, tense one. While the four girls alternately stared at each other and the feather attached to the plastic headband in May’s hands, you stared at them, unblinkingly, frozen to the spot, your hands clasped to your chest, unable to move in fretful anticipation of your friends’ answer.

Probably just a few seconds had passed before the silence was finally broken, but to you, it felt like an eternity.


	20. ⸢ Chapter 15 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Wow!” Alex breathed out. Turning her coffee-coloured eyes away from the shimmering feather, she lifted her gaze to look at you in awe, a smile appearing on her face. “You saw the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh, got one of its feathers, and then two shiny Ralts deliberately joined your team! So jealous!”

As soon as you heard her answer, you felt all tension drain from you at once, and you couldn’t help but exhale a deep sigh of relief as you began smiling as well. “I guess you could say so.”

“You seem so relieved,” Lina said upon noticing your change in demeanour and smirked. “Did you think we wouldn’t believe you?”

“Yeah, I mean, I still have a hard time believing that this really happened, so why would you?” you replied. “Especially since I’m apparently the only one who saw Ho-Oh. I was afraid you’d think I’m nuts or stuff, and now I’m really glad that you don’t.”

“Well, I won’t deny that what you told us sounds almost unbelievable,” May admitted straightforwardly, but then she smiled warmly and put the plastic headband back on your hair, afterwards plopping a hand down on your head. “But why would you lie to us? If you say that you saw Ho-Oh, then we’ll believe you, of course.”

“Plus, I’ve never seen a feather like this one before!” Alex added in an energetic manner. “It changes colours! That can only mean that it’s from Ho-Oh, can’t it?”

Kristie hummed pensively. “Don’t the legends say that those who see Ho-Oh are promised an eternal happiness?” she pondered aloud. “Who knows, maybe you’ll find yours on your journey.”

“Oh, right! Speaking of which,” May turned to look at you with a broad grin and a gleeful twinkle in her eyes, “congrats on becoming a Pokémon Trainer!”

“You met Raleia and Rineis only yesterday, and yet you’re already so close. You’ve always had a way with Pokémon,” Kristie smiled. “You’ll be a fantastic Trainer. I just know it.”

Lina nodded. “True.”

“I second that,” May agreed with a firm, decisive nod of her head, arms crossed over her chest. Her grin had vanished, giving way to a serious expression. “Definitely.”

“Thirded!” Alex chirped.

There was not a hint of hesitancy in their manners, no doubt whatsoever in their voices. Instead, their words held nothing but unadulterated faith in you. They all believed in you, believed that you would succeed, and your heart swelled with immense joy at this, touched by their complete trust in you.

You beamed at them. “You’re the best friends anyone could ever have, you know that?”

“Group hug!” Alex yelled, and the next thing you knew, you were being enveloped in a giant hug by your four friends at the same time, squished between them as they all wrapped their arms around you, with Raleia and Rineis joining in as well, hugging your legs tightly.

Laughing, you eased into their warm, sisterly embrace and closed your eyes for a few seconds, enjoying this moment of amicable intimacy. “Thanks, guys. You too, you little cutie pies,” you said, smiling down at the siblings.

“Katy would be so proud of you,” May said after she – along with the other three girls – had let go of you again, though her hands remained firm on your shoulders, squeezing them affectionately. “We are, of course, too.”

“How about calling her right now?” Kristie suggested. “I’m sure she would want to hear about your decision, and that you’ve got two Pokémon now.”

“I’m not exactly sure that’s a good idea,” Lina objected, scratching her chin. “She’s been really busy lately, what with the tournament being just around the corner and stuff. She barely finds the time to keep us up to date, so maybe you should wait for her next call and then tell her.”

“You’re probably right … That might be the best thing you can do, [Nickname].”

Alex’s brows bumped together in a reproachful frown, and she shook her head at Lina and Kristie. “Aw, c’mon, guys, don’t be so negative! Maybe she’s got time right now! We’ll only find out if we call her, right? Let’s at least try!”

“Yeah, let’s! Trying to get her on the phone is the least we can do,” you said with an enthusiastic nod of approval. “Perhaps she’s got some free time and will pick up.”

“Then call her already, chop-chop!” May urged. “Maybe you’re wasting precious time right now and her break will be over in a minute, and then she won’t be able to pick up anymore.”

“You’re right!” Hurriedly whipping out your PokéNav Plus, you speed-dialled Katy.

While you were eagerly waiting (and hoping) for your fifth best friend to answer the call, staring at the [favourite colour] device and keenly listening to the dial tone, you were ushered by your friends to sit down on a nearby bench with them. Somehow, all five of you managed to squeeze yourselves onto the bench without anyone falling off the edge. After you had placed your shoulder bag by your feet, the two Ralts hopped onto your lap.

Just like Lina had said, the Pokémon World Tournament (or rather: the preparations for this event hosted in Auriga City, Virno’s capital city) had been keeping Katy – the fifth and oldest member of your friend group and some sort of mentor to the four of you – extremely busy. As the current League Champ, she was pretty much the face of the whole tournament and giving radio and television interviews left and right – and as if that wasn’t already enough, she was also readily helping both the hosts and workers out when the need arose.

Nonetheless, she called whenever she had time, but alas, that time was sparse. The last time you had received a call from her was more than three weeks ago, and she had been forced to hang up right in the middle of it because a reporter had asked her for an impromptu interview. That was why you were awfully excited to be able to talk to her again and tell her from the life-changing decision you had made – if she had time right now, that was. You could just hope for the best.


	21. ⸢ Chapter 16 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

After a couple of seconds spent in tense silence, the PokéNav Plus’s video screen crackled to life with a startlingly loud noise, flickered, and then, a familiar face appeared, gleaming, teal eyes looking straight into the camera.

Immediately and almost automatically, you felt your lips curl into a bright smile at the sight of Katy’s beaming face. “Hey, Katy,” you greeted her in an upbeat voice. “Are you free to talk right now?”

“Hey there, [Nickname]! Good to see you! And look at that, Alex, Kristie, Lina, and May are there too! It’s so nice to see you guys again!”

“Hey!” the four girls greeted her back joyfully, waving at the small camera.

“To answer your question, even if I weren’t free right now, I’d just make time for you. But don’t worry, you caught me at a good time. I just got back from another interview and don’t have anything else planned – yet.” With a small sigh, she pushed her tousled, chocolate brown hair back behind her ears, but the next second, the smile was back on her lips. “So, what’s up? What can I do for you?”

“Well –”

That was when she caught sight of Raleia and Rineis curiously peering at the device in your hands. “Oh, what’s that? Are those two Ralts I see? Are they yours?”

“Yeah! That’s exactly why I’m calling, actually.”

“Wait, don’t say anything yet! Let me guess …” She tilted her head, her shoulder-length hair falling over to one side, lips puckered as she seemed to think; then, her face lit up in a wide smile. “You’re gonna go on a Pokémon journey, aren’t you? Congratulations!”

“It didn’t take you as long as Alex to figure that out,” May snickered.

“Oi!” Alex exclaimed, a pout forming her indignant expression. “You were just as surprised as I was! It’s wasn’t like you knew it right off the bat like Katy! Neither of us did!”

Lina chuckled, obviously amused by their squabble. “Can’t deny that.”

“Guys, stop it already,” Kristie intervened. She made a half-hearted attempt to glare at the three girls to make them stop, but it was ineffective. “[Nickname] and Katy can’t talk because of your pointless bickering.”

May and Lina stopped laughing, and so did both Katy and you, having been entertained by your friends’ antics.

“How come you decided to start your journey now, anyways?” Katy asked. “If I remember correctly, you wanted to wait until after graduation, didn’t you? What made you change your mind?”

You opened your mouth to tell her about what had happened in Lucus Grove yesterday afternoon without hesitating – May, Kristie, Alex, and Lina had believed you, and that gave you the certainty that Katy would too. “You see –”

However, you didn’t get to elaborate further because Alex beat you to it, “Katy, you won’t believe what happened to [Nickname]!”

“Alex!” May quickly silenced Alex by harshly poking her in the ribs with her elbow, causing her to yelp and scowl at her. “Shut your face! Don’t just go and tell that to everyone without asking for [Nickname]’s permission first!” she rebuked her, interrupting her before she could tell Katy about your encounter with a Legendary Pokémon in your stead.

“That’s not something everyone will believe,” Lina said. “You don’t want anyone to think our dear [Nickname] is crazy, do you?”

Alex firmly shook her head. “No, of course not! I’m sorry …” she mumbled, hanging her head in shame.

“Don’t worry about it,” you reassured her, patting her back in a comforting manner. “But they’re right. I’d rather you don’t spread this around, alright?”

“I promise!”

Katy looked back and forth between the five of you, confusion lifting both of her eyebrows. “What’s up with you guys? You made me really curious about whatever you’re talking about.” She smiled mildly at you. “But if you don’t want to tell me, [Nickname], then that’s fine too, of course.”

“No, it’s fine,” you replied with a slight headshake, smiling. “Just promise me that you won’t tell anybody, okay?”

“Alright. Cross my heart and hope to die. I’ll go somewhere more private so nobody can eavesdrop. Give me a second …” The view of the PokéNav Plus’s camera shifted from her face down her chest and to her stomach, the bright red colour of her shirt taking up the whole screen, when she lowered her arm. Footsteps could be heard, along with countless scraps of conversations merging into an incomprehensible chatter of voices.

“Who is that human girl?” Raleia piped up, her head tipped all the way back to look straight up at you. “Another one of your friends?”

“Yeah,” you answered, gazing down at her. “Her name’s Kaitlyn. She’s the current Pokémon Champion and one of my best friends. She left the islands two years ago, to go on a journey like I’m gonna do.”

“W-Wow, she’s t-the current C-Champion?”

You grinned at Rineis. “Cool, right? But because of the Tournament, she can’t be at the League and defend the title, so the former Champion is currently filling out her position.”

“Did they ask about Katy?” Kristie asked, gently chiming in. She and the three other girls were, once again, watching you and your two Pokémon talk attentively.

You gave an affirmative nod. “Yup.”

“So jelly that you can talk with Pokémon!” Alex proclaimed in a sing-song voice. “I wish I could do that too!”

With an annoyed upward roll of her eyes, May crossed her arms over her chest. “Knowing you, I’m sure you’d be known throughout the entire region in next to no time because you’d flaunt your ability in front of everyone.”

“I sure would!”

“Unlike you, [Nickname]’s more of the modest type of person who doesn’t like being in the center of attention all the time.” Lina’s remark sounded snarky, but the smirk on her face made it clear that she was only teasing.


	22. ⸢ Chapter 17 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Alright, guys,” Katy’s voice suddenly sounded from the electronic device, causing your friends and you to focus your attention on her, “I’m in my changing room now.” Her face showed up on the small screen again, eyes seemingly boring directly into yours. “Spill it, [Nickname].”

“Yesterday, while I was working at the clinic, I was sent to Lucus Grove to check up on some Pokémon in distress one of my mom’s patients had heard. These two,” your knees bounced upwards to draw your friend’s attention to the dual-type Pokémon sitting on your lap, “were the Pokémon in question, by the way.”

“They joined you because you helped them out?”

“Yeah. A pack of Poochyena had cornered them, and I chased them away. Anyways, just as I was about to head back to the clinic, I saw a large shadow and looked up to see – and now hold on tight – Ho-Oh.”

Katy gaped at you. “Seriously?”

“Yeah!” you replied animatedly. “It even approached me!” This brought you the undivided attention of your four other friends, and they gawked at you much like Katy did.

“What? Really?!” Alex shouted right into your ear, causing you to flinch and almost drop the PokéNav Plus. Her eyes were wide as she stared at you, completely baffled. “You didn’t tell us that! What did it do?!”

Grimacing, you rubbed over your poor ear. You were pretty sure you had suffered from sudden deafness because of her sharp yell. “Well, it flew at me head-on,” you explained. “And that was it, really.”

“Did it say something?” Lina queried. She was no less excited than Alex – or May and Kristie, for that matter.

You thought back to the encounter in the grove. The Rainbow Pokémon had emitted a cry, but not said anything. At least you hadn’t heard anything in your awed daze. Maybe you had missed something …? No, you had been so fixated on Ho-Oh, you surely would have noticed if it had said something to you. “I don’t think so.” You looked at your two shiny Ralts who, as if they had felt your eyes on them, craned their necks to meet your gaze. “What about you cuties? You said you were still conscious when Ho-Oh showed up. Did you hear it say something?”

Both seemed to ponder over this questions for a few seconds, then shook their sky-blue heads in unison.

“No, not that I’m aware of.”

“M-Me neither …”

“They didn’t hear anything either.”

Lina slowly nodded. “I see.”

“Do you guys happen to have any idea why it could’ve showed up? I tried to come up with an explanation, but the only thing I got was a massive headache from racking my brains. My mom thinks it’s my call to adventure. Maybe she’s right …” You trailed off, feeling the all too familiar pain faintly throbbing against your skull, and you kneaded your temples and forehead to ward it off. “Just thinking about it gives me a headache again.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine how confusing it must be to come across a Legendary Pokémon,” Katy said and gave you a look of heartfelt sympathy.

Alex gasped suddenly, earning everyone’s attention. “Perhaps it was some kind of prediction for your future!” Oh, how right she was … But you didn’t know that – yet.

You gazed over to your brunette friend, blinking at her in surprise. The oncoming headache was gone in an instant as if it hadn’t been there in the first place. “Ho-Oh declaring me as a pure-hearted Trainer … A prediction?” you slowly repeated her words. You hadn’t thought of that before, having been unsure of the validity of the legends about the Rainbow Pokémon in the first place … But this had a reasonable ring to it – you were talking about a Legendary Pokémon here, after all. Everything was possible in this case.

“Yeah!” Alex replied with the greatest conviction. Grabbing onto your arm, she stared you straight in the eye. “I bet Ho-Oh blessed you! You’ll accomplish something great during your journey, I’m sure of it!”

“Hm … That idea actually is not as absurd as it seems,” May mumbled, pondering. She seemed much calmer and more collected than Alex, but the sparkle in her blue eyes told you that she was zestful all the same. “I think she might be right. Encounters with Legendary Pokémon are always meaningful to some extent, aren’t they?”

“I think so too. The most obvious explanation for Ho-Oh appearing before you is that it blessed you. That’s what the legends say, anyway. Like Kristie said before, it’s rumoured that the ones who see Ho-Oh are promised eternal happiness,” Lina said, and Kriste nodded along to her sentence.

“But it’s also said that it only shows itself to pure-hearted Trainers, and the thing is that I wasn’t a Trainer at that moment,” you pointed out.

Not having let go of your arm once, Alex gripped it even tighter and shook you a little as her excitement grew and grew with every puzzle piece that fell into place (in her eyes, at least). “That was the prediction! You became a Trainer after that encounter! And we all know that you’re pure-hearted, so it all makes sense now, right? Right?”

You let out a lengthy hum. Your mind was reeling, once more trying to make sense of this all, now with the help of your friends. And what Alex had said sounded somewhat plausible. Better than nothing, at least. “Perhaps, yeah.”

“Now all you’ve got to do is to go out there, live up to Ho-Oh’s blessing, and find the eternal happiness it promised!” Kristie cheered you on, a bright smile stretched across her lips.

“Blessed by Ho-Oh, huh?” As you spoke those words, kind of liking the way they rolled off your tongue, a dreamy grin appearing on your face. “That’d be cool.”

“I know, right?”

While your friends (including Katy) started gushing over how awesome it would be if Ho-Oh really had blessed you, you couldn’t help but sink back into your pensive state. Grin faltering, you mumbled more to yourself than to your friends in a nearly inaudible whisper, “But still, why me?”


	23. ⸢ Chapter 18 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

You knew very well that your friends couldn’t give you an answer to this question. After all, they knew as much as you – and that was, frankly, nothing. All of this talk up until now had been nothing but speculations, theories, and assumptions without any kind of solid proof; you knew nothing for sure.

But still, why you? Even if all of this was true and Ho-Oh had indeed chosen you, blessed you, declared you as a pure-hearted Trainer, promised you eternal happiness, left you one of its feathers … Why you, of all people?

As you felt yet another headache slowly coming up, you raised one of your hands to your face, the other still holding onto your [favourite colour] PokéNav Plus, to massage your temples by turns and soothe the dull pain pulsating inside your skull. You had long stopped paying attention to the lively conversation of your friends, not even listening with half an ear, and went over to blankly staring ahead.

Ever since Ho-Oh had shown up, your (more or less) normal life had been turned completely upside down. The two Ralts, witnesses to the Legendary Pokémon’s appearance, had decided to become a part of your Pokémon Party, you had decided to set out for a Pokémon journey … And during all of this, you had been repeatedly pestered by headaches because you had been – and still were – trying to find out the reason for and meaning of everything. You were about ready to grasp at any straw and consider every possible explanation there was as long as it sounded somewhat logical.

So, what was the reason why Ho-Oh had appeared before you? You had been the only one to see it, and it had even approached you as though it wanted something from you … Could it be that this had something to do with your special talent? Was there some kind of connection perhaps? You didn’t want to sound conceited or something along those lines, but you knew that, with that ability of yours, you were special – one of a kind even, since you hadn’t heard of another person having the same ability before. Was it possible that Ho-Oh had chosen you because of this ability to understand and talk with Pokémon?

Maybe your parents and friends had been right all along. Maybe Ho-Oh had specifically revealed itself to you because it wanted you to leave your home and embark on a journey, because there was a Pokémon it wanted you to talk to. That was reasonable (at least a little), wasn’t it …?

You were so absorbed in thought, trying to come up with an explanation for yesterday’s incident that wasn’t utterly ridiculous, that you failed to notice Raleia and Rineis trying to get your attention by tugging at your shirt and waving their little hands in front of your face. What you didn’t fail to notice, however, was someone shaking you by the shoulder.

Concerned voices gradually penetrated the thick fog of persistent questions and troubling thoughts filling up your mind to the point where you felt like it was bursting at the seams until they reached your ears and pulled you out of your brooding ruminations.

“[-me] … [-name] … [-ckname]! Are you listening? [Nickname]! Hey, listen!” Alex shouted, and only now you noticed that she was persistently poking your cheeks – she had also been the one to shake you by the shoulder. “Yoo-hoo, Earth to [Nickname]!”

You blinked, once, twice, your [colour] eyes coming into focus again after having been staring into space for Arceus knew how long. A small, confused “Huh” escaped your lips, but when you looked around and saw the worried faces of your friends and Pokémon, you quickly realized that you had just went and zoned out on them.

“Seems like she’s with us again,” Lina noted, looking at you inquiringly.

“Oh. Um …” You cracked an embarrassed smile, scratching the back of your neck. “Sorry about that,” you said and coughed awkwardly. “I didn’t mean to ignore you.”

A crooked grin tugged at one corner of May’s mouth. “Well, we sure hope so.”

“Is everything alright again?” Raleia asked. Standing on your thighs, she and her brother were studying your face just like your four friends, concern evident in all their eyes.

“W-We could sense y-you getting w-worked up about s-something …”

“What happened?” Kristie enquired. “We tried to get your attention several times, but you just didn’t react. You had us really worried for a second there, [Nickname].”

“I’m sorry. I got lost in thought,” you answered truthfully, shaking your head to rid yourself of said lingering thoughts.

“What’s bothering you so much that you zone out completely?” Hearing Katy’s voice ask this question reminded you that she was still there, and you realized with a sense of relief washing over you that she hadn’t hung up while you had been engrossed in thought.

It also made you aware of the fact that your PokéNav Plus was not only facing away from you, but also loosely hanging from your hand and threatening to fall onto the ground at any moment (cue a cold sensation zapping down your spine), your grasp on it dangerously lax. You hastily fixed that by properly pointing it at your friends and you again.

Katy uttered a quick, but genuine “Thanks” when her PokéNav’s screen showed you again and not the landscape opposing the bench you were still sitting on turned upside down. “It’s the whole deal with Ho-Oh, isn’t it?” she then asked whilst trying to get a good look at you.

Forking a hand through your [length] hair, you heaved a sigh. “Yeah. I just can’t stop thinking about it. I know nothing for sure. There are still so many open questions, and they keep bugging me. Not knowing anything like this is too hard for me to bear.”

“Too bad you couldn’t ask Ho-Oh yourself,” Lina mumbled.

“Yeah, that surely would’ve saved me some headaches,” you groaned, leaning back on the bench and closing your eyes as you rubbed over your forehead.


	24. ⸢ Chapter 19 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Well, whatever meaning your encounter with Ho-Oh has,” May spoke up, causing you to open your eyes again and look over at her to see her smiling reassuringly at you, “I’m sure it’s a good one.”

“If the legends are true, you’ve been granted eternal happiness,” Katy remarked, grinning. “You should make the best out of that and not waste your time questioning the reason for this encounter, don’t you think so too?”

“I know it’s not as easy as it sounds, but you should really try not to think about all this too much anymore and instead look forward to what will come,” Kristie said.

Alex nodded eagerly. “Yeah! You’re only gonna spoil your own fun if you continue moping around!”

“I agree,” Lina added. “Nothing good can come of dwelling on this matter. It only gives you headaches anyway. The best thing is to forget about this for the time being. Maybe you’ll get to the bottom of this one day.”

“Hopefully …” you murmured, but before your thoughts could drift back into the vast sea of open questions, you took them and locked them away in the most remote corners of your confused mind. Like your friends had advised you to, you wouldn’t let them bother you again any time soon. You still had your whole Pokémon journey in front of you – you hadn’t even begun yet, for Arceus’ sake! You wouldn’t let this rain on your parade!

With a curt nod, you squared your shoulders and sat up straighter, determined not to let these gloomy thoughts lie heavy on you. “You’re right. I’ll try to stop thinking about this. Thank you,” you smiled as a safe, comfortable warmth spread through your body.

“Group hug! Again!” Practically launching herself at you, Alex flung her arms around you in a sideways bear hug, drawing a surprised cry from you which melted into laughter once you had overcome the initial shock (of not only suddenly being pounced on, but also nearly dropping your PokéNav Plus for the second time in a few minutes).

This triggered an unfortunate chain of events: You bumped against Kristie sitting on your other side – who then knocked against Lina and almost caused her to topple from the bench the five of you had oh so tediously figured out how to sit on at the same time. Both of them yelped, Kristie more surprised than angry, though that wasn’t the case with Lina who instantly scowled at Alex.

In the meantime, May – who was sitting next to Alex – narrowly escaped the painful fate of getting kicked off the bench by the brunette girl by gripping the bench’s planks so tightly that her knuckles turned white, letting out an affronted yell, “Oi! Are you out of your mind?!”

Furthermore, the impact of Alex’s body against yours would have sent the two Feeling Pokémon (who were still standing on your thighs) flying if they hadn’t clung to your shirt for dear life. They, too, reacted differently, much like Kristie and Lina; while a panic-stricken look crossed Rineis’ face, Raleia burst out laughing. It didn’t take long for your three friends to follow the female Ralts’ example, their quiet giggles and snickers soon turning into full-blown laughter as they joined Alex in cuddling you, and the siblings followed suit.

The muffled sound of a door opening coming from the [favourite colour] PokéNav Plus in your hands attracted the attention of everyone, including Katy.

Having been watching your group hug with a tender smile gracing her lips and the longing in her eyes to just climb through the screen and join you if only she could, she now looked away from the electronic device’s camera and asked someone off-screen, “Yeah? What is it?”

“Miss Kaitlyn, two celebrity idols from Unova wish to talk to you,” a barely audible voice answered. “They’re already waiting in the main hall for you. Should I turn them down, seeing as you’re busy right now?”

Katy directed her teal-eyed gaze at you in a silent question, and you shook your head. “Don’t let me keep you,” you said, grinning, after blowing a strand of Kristie’s light blonde hair out of your face.

“I’ll be there in a minute. Thank you.” Still smiling, Katy nodded to the person – probably her assistant of some sort – and then looked back to you. “[Nickname], you have to come visit me in Auriga City some time! You can find me in the Concursus Arena most of the time. Or just call me when you’re there, and we’ll meet up, alright?”

You nodded, a big smile on your lips. “Gotcha! Thanks so much, Katy. You too, guys. I don’t know what I’d do without you, I really don’t.” Tears of overwhelming gratitude were pricking the corners of your eyes, and you hurried to blink them away, not wanting to worry your friends any further. You felt utterly blessed to have these five girls as best friends.

Waving her hand slightly as though it was no big deal, Lina grinned at you. “Don’t mention it.”

“That’s what best friends do, after all!” Alex chirped, pulling you even closer than you already were. “No matter what, we’ll always be there for you! Even if we’re apart!”

“You better give us a call every now and then while you’re travelling, alright?” May said, and although it was posed as a question, you knew from the sound in her stern voice that she wouldn’t take a “No” as an answer. But then her features softened again, and she smiled. “We’ll sleep better knowing that you’re doing well.”

Kristie searched for one of your hands in this cluster of limbs and took it in hers, squeezing it. “And if you should need any help, call us. We won’t be able to come to you, but I’m sure we’ll be able to figure something out together that will help you in the end.”

“Don’t be scared of going on a journey on your own. You’ll have your Pokémon by your side, so you’ll be just fine, believe me! And those Ralts seem like wonderful companions. You’ve got nothing to worry about. Well then,” Katy concluded, “see you soon, hopefully! Good luck on your journey! And I’ll call you guys again as soon as I can, promise!”

“Bye-bye!” your friends and you sang out. You were still smushed together in a hug and happily waving to Katy along with Raleia and Rineis who had spontaneously decided to mimic your actions until your PokéNav’s screen went black and then switched to the main menu.


	25. ⸢ Chapter 20 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Flipping the [favourite colour] PokéNav Plus shut, you pulled back from your friends’ embrace to put the device back in your shoulder bag. But the moment you did so, you already missed the warmth and the feeling of safety the hug had provided.

Barely a second later, Alex jumped up from the bench, without speaking, but with a certain glimmer in her eyes that told you that she had something in mind – whatever it was. She whirled around to you and, clasping your hand, tugged at it zestfully, leaving you no choice but to let her pull you to your feet after the two Ralts had hopped off your lap. “C’mon, let’s do something fun to distract you!”

“I actually came here to train,” you said, smiling at your two Pokémon who grew excited at this prospect – well, at least Raleia did; Rineis just smiled tensely back at you. Then, you looked at your friends. “Wanna join me?”

“Sure. But how about we have a Pokémon battle before that?” Lina suggested as she stood as well, closely followed by May and Kristie. “It’s going to be your first one, isn’t it? I’d like it to be against us, if you don’t mind. We’ll fight you in two-on-two battles, alright?”

“I’d love to, but a Double Battle as my first one? I’m not sure if I’ll manage …” you replied, voicing your concerns, but they were halfway through buried by Alex’s joyful whoop.

“That’s an awesome idea! I call dibs on the first battle!” she exclaimed, already reaching for the Poké Ball attached to her belt clip. “May, you’ll be my partner! And then come Lina and Kristie!”

May and Lina apparently wanted to object, both opening their mouths. (Knowing them, they most likely weren’t disagreeing with the order of who battled with whom and when, but rather because Alex had simply decided over their heads.) But no words came out when they became aware of Alex’s aura of stubborn determination that basically screamed: “But me no buts!”

May sighed in defeat. “Alright, fine. Don’t bother to ask if we agree … Why should you?” She muttered that last part to herself while grabbing her Poké Ball.

“Are you even okay with this, [Nickname]?” Kristie chimed in as she looked at you worriedly, drawing the other three girls’ attention to you. “If you think Double Battles are a bit too much for the beginning, then we can fight you one-on-one too.”

Lina paused, her hand frozen in the movement of throwing her Poké Ball to the ground to send out her Pokémon. “Yeah, Alex didn’t even wait for your answer, now that I think about it.” She shot said brunette girl a reproving glare.

You thought about Kristie’s offer for a moment and, upon making up your mind, shook your head with a smile. “It’s fine. Double Battles are only fair since I’ve got two Pokémon and each of you only one. And it’ll be a good exercise to start with.”

Kristie smiled back at you and took her Poké Ball. “Good.”

You turned around, expecting Raleia and Rineis to still be at the bench, only to notice that they were already standing by your feet and looking up at you, in Raleia’s case excitedly, but in Rineis’ case anxiously.

“A Double Battle against your friends? Sounds good!” Raleia nudged her brother with her elbow, grinning widely at him. “Doesn’t it, brother?”

He rubbed his arm where his sister’s elbow had hit him, looking at the ground. He seemed unsure about this, and your observation was confirmed when he mumbled, “I-I’m not s-so sure …”

Crouching down in front of the two siblings, you placed a hand on Rineis’ head yet again. “If you’d prefer a one-on-one battle, then I’ll talk to my friends about it.”

“No, don’t listen to him, [Name]!” Raleia cut in, grabbing hold of the hem of your shirt’s sleeve. “I bet Double Battles are much more fun than normal ones! I want to fight a Double Battle!” Letting go of your shirt, she then turned to her brother and placed both hands on his shoulders, shaking him slightly. “C’mon, brother, get your act together! We’re in [Name]’s Pokémon team now! Don’t you want to make her proud?”

It seemed like she had struck the right chord in him as his head snapped up near-instantly. “O-Of course! Y-You’re right!” He looked at you, a spark of newfound determination flickering in his eyes. “I-I’ll fight t-the D-Double Battles f-for you!”

You really couldn’t help but chuckle and grin from ear to ear at the Ralts siblings. “You’re adorable. You both are.” You pecked both their sky-blue heads, leaving Raleia positively glowing with pride and Rineis virtually blushing to the tips of his horns in your wake as you made a move stand up.

Just then, however, the distinctive sounds of multiple Pokémon being released from their Poké Balls at roughly the same time made you pause. When you turned, you saw that your four friends had sent out their Pokémon; an Eevee, a Nidoran♀, a Pikachu, and a Skitty who immediately went to greet their respective Trainer.

May squatted down in front of her female Evolution Pokémon and gently petted her brown head, with the Eevee leaning into her touch, enjoying every second of it. “Did you miss me, Nala? I missed you too.”

“Hey there, Azula,” Lina greeted her Poison Pin Pokémon as she picked her up from the ground. A quiet laugh escaped her lips when her Nidoran♀ snuggled her head into her neck.

“C’mere, Sparky! Come to mommy!” No sooner had Alex spread her arms open wide than her Mouse Pokémon threw herself at her, and she swung her female Pikachu around in a circle.

Kristie giggled at her Kitten Pokémon’s behaviour; first, the Skitty had rubbed up against her legs, weaving through them, but soon she had started chasing her own tail while running around the girl. “You’re so cute, Princess.”


	26. ⸢ Chapter 21 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The person your best friends’ Pokémon went to say hello to next, after they had finished greeting their Trainers and separated from them, was you. They crowded you, scuttling around at your feet, all of them greeting you happily, “Hey, Miss [Name]!”

“Hi there, my dearies,” you smiled while patting and rubbing their heads one after another, and each of them nuzzled into your hand affectionately. “There are two Pokémon I want to introduce you to.” You gestured towards the dual-type siblings standing next to you. “These are Raleia and Rineis,” you said, with Raleia waving cheerfully and Rineis timidly inching closer to you when you mentioned their names.

“We’re on [Name]’s Pokémon team!” she exclaimed, pointing to herself with her thumb as she puffed herself up like a bird ruffling its feathers, and flashed them a grin. “Nice to meet you!”

“Yeah, n-nice to m-meet you …” her brother said, though not as confidently and instead speaking in a quiet voice. His eyes briefly darted over to the four Pokémon before abruptly looking away upon meeting their curious gazes.

You looked on in mirth as your friends’ Pokémon surrounded the two Ralts and eyed them up, causing Rineis to start fidgeting nervously. His sister, on the other hand, was happily chatting with the four and bragging about how they had become your Pokémon and that you were going to go on a journey with them. You were happy to see that Raleia was hitting it off with them, and that even her brother was slowly warming up to them as well.

“Miss [Name] has never had any Pokémon before!” May’s Eevee Nala told the siblings after the pair’s sister had finished her story about how they had been the reason for you to decide to start a Pokémon journey. “You two are her first! That means you have to look after her!”

“Hey!” you exclaimed, laughing. “I’m not that helpless. I may not have any experience in battling, but that’s gonna change soon. Your Trainers’ and I decided that we’re gonna fight Double Battles against each other, that’s why they sent you out in the first place.”

The two red pouches on Sparky’s cheeks sprayed sparks in her excitement, and she began bouncing from foot to foot. “We’re gonna battle? Really? Awesome! And Double Battles at that! I can’t wait!”

“Who’s going to fight against whom?” Azula, Lina’s Nidoran♀, interestedly asked. Her whiskers bristled, as if in anticipation of the upcoming battle.

“You all against me and my two cutie pies here,” you replied.

Princess gazed up at you with her slit-like eyes, her pink head tilted to the side. “Are you really alright with that, Miss [Name]?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. Practice makes perfect, after all! Well then,” you rose swiftly, shaking out your legs to relieve your knees aching from crouching for so long, “let’s not waste any more time and get down to business.”

“Yeah!” Alex carolled. “The sooner the better!”

While your friends’ Pokémon returned to their respective Trainer – who had, in the meantime, created some distance between you and them by walking a couple of feet ahead, down the path – and prepared for the battles with them, you looked back to your two Ralts. “Are you ready?” you asked them.

“What kind of question is that? Of course! I was born ready!” Raleia retorted boisterously, her small fists pumping the air. Even though she was only 40 centimeters tall and resembled a child (as regards her physique), her whole posture was radiating confidence, what with her chest puffed out and her chin held high.

“M-Me too …!” Inhaling deeply before pushing back his shoulders, Rineis locked eyes with you, and you were pleasantly surprised to see that his fuchsia orbs were filled with determination. “We’ll make y-you proud and w-win these battles!”

You grinned broadly at them. “No doubt about that! We’ll do this together.” You turned back to your friends and shouted, “Guys, we’re ready!”

“Same here!” Kristie called back. She and Lina, along with their Pokémon, were standing slightly away from Alex and May on the side of the road to not accidentally get involved in the battle that would soon commence.

You had hardly planted yourself across from your two friends you were going to fight against, your skin prickling with excitement, before the siblings took up position in front of you as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Each was facing one of the opposing Pokémon head-on and moving in such a natural manner that it seemed like they had already done this many times before.

Until this day, you had only watched Pokémon battles being fought by your best friends and your classmates, always standing on the sidelines and cheering on either one of your friends or one of your classmates. Now, it was your turn. You would fight such a battle, experience it first-hand.

May cracked her knuckles, smirking all the while at you, and that grin only widened when she saw Alex next to her flinch and turn up her mouth at the popping sounds, visibly grossed out. “Let’s go, Alex! Nala, give ‘em hell!”

“Aye, ma’am!” Alex touched her fingers to her forehead in a mock salute. “Let the sparks fly, Sparky!” she sang out, afterwards cackling at her own pun which made Lina groan.

Without hesitation, you jumped at the chance to start the Double Battle and be the first to instruct your Pokémon. “Show them what you’ve got! Raleia, use Disarming Voice on Nala! And Rineis, you use Confusion on Sparky!”

At your command, the Ralts sprang into action. Opening her mouth wide, Raleia released a beam of purple hearts, headed straight for May’s Eevee, in a loud shrieking voice, while Rineis’s orange eyes and horns began to shine with a bright glow.

“Nala, dodge the attack, distract her with Sand Attack, and then follow up with Tackle!”

“Sparky, use Quick Attack to dodge and then attack with Thunder Shock!”

With that, the battle began.


	27. ⸉ Intermission ⸊

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Anxious. Agitated. Nervous. Restless.

He didn’t understand. Why? Why was everyone feeling like this? He could sense it. Everywhere he went, he sensed these emotions. Everyone he came across seemed to be in this emotional state. Each and every one at once. There wasn’t a single one he had met who hadn’t been at least a little twitchy.

But why? Why were they feeling this way? What could have possibly caused this – caused all of them to be so fidgety?

He was quite sure, though, that the cause of this sudden (and, most of all, entirely unexpected) change in behaviour wasn’t fear, but rather anticipation of something to come. This soothed his nerves and allayed his worries at least a little bit.

At the moment, he was hurrying down the hallways of what he had used to call his “home”, past the debris strewn about the floor and through the murky darkness that was only illuminated by the thin rays of light falling through the broken windows. Dust rose with every step he took, reminding him of how long he (or anyone, for that matter) hadn’t been here.

But that wasn’t of importance. There were far more important matters at hand, the reason why he was here in the first place. He had left this place a long time ago already to live on his own and only came back here – to the ruins of his old home – when he wanted to be alone, wanted some time to himself, to think, like right now.

He needed to figure out what was going on with the Pokémon in the entire Unova region. They were his friends, after all, and so, naturally, he was worried about them. He wanted to help them, calm them. And to do that, he had to find out the reason for their jumpiness.

Of course, he had already asked around, but the answers he had got hadn’t exactly cleared things up for him. But there was one thing he had quickly noticed, and that was that every Pokémon was talking about the same things: “The Original One,” “The Destined One,” and a certain prophecy.

Now, he had heard of “The Original One” before, heard it in legendary tales and ancient myths about the creation of this world – universe even –, whispered amongst the people of the different regions. It was another name for Arceus, the Alpha Pokémon, the master of both the lake guardians and the creation trio, the creator of this very universe he was living in along with countless other humans, Pokémon, and animals alike.

It was said that Arceus had created the entire universe with all of its planets and stars, with the help of the two trios, the one consisting of Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, and the other of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. It had cared for the world, secured its prosperity in ancient times, and shielded it from cataclysms.

He also knew that, somewhen, centuries ago, the Alpha Pokémon had suddenly vanished from the face of the earth, never to be seen again. No one knew where it had gone or if it was still alive. It had just … disappeared. But now, from what he had heard from the Pokémon he had talked to, Arceus was supposedly going to wake up again, because the “Destined One” had been chosen, and that was all connected to some prophecy.

He had already done a little research on his own to find out more about all this, poring over every book he had found in the library about Arceus and prophecies connected to Legendary Pokémon in general. And much to his delight, after what had felt like hours (and probably was, too), he had found just what he had searched for in a dusty tome with yellowed pages. It seemed to be older than every other book in the library – much older.

Everything was connected to the Virno region. There, Arceus was sealed away in an ancient chamber, waiting for the day the Destined One would come forth to break the seal. But before that, they had to prove themselves to the Alpha Pokémon.

He badly wanted to meet that person – another hero chosen by a Legendary Pokémon, just like him. What were they like? Were they even worthy of this momentous destiny? Would they succeed or fail? He wanted to find the answers to these questions, and if that meant that he had to travel all the way to that region, then so be it.

Deftly climbing onto the sill of a window whose pane of glass had been shattered some time ago, the crumbled plaster scrunching beneath his boot-clad feet, he let out a high-pitched whistle. And then, he unhesitatingly jumped – right onto the back of a large, ebony Pokémon that had followed its Trainers call.

His green hair was whipped and tossed around by the wind as he took off into the clear blue sky with his Pokémon.

* * *

_Just you wait,_

_Destined One._

_I will find you._


	28. ⸢ Chapter 22 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The two Double Battles – the first one against May’s Eevee and Alex’s Pikachu, the second one against Kristie’s Skitty and Lina’s Nidoran♀ – had gone surprisingly well. Your Pokémon and you had put up a good fight and –

Oh, who were you kidding? For some mind-boggling reason you still couldn’t completely grasp, you had won them both. Astounding, right?

You yourself didn’t know how in the world you had managed to do that; you really had no clue. These had been your very first two battles, and they had been two-on-two ones (which were far more difficult to fight than normal ones, mind you) and, furthermore, against your friends who already had gained experience in Pokémon battles! But even so, despite all this, you had scored a victory both times – somehow. (You were still amazed by that.)

Alright, to be fair, you had only just scraped these two victories. The first battle had been an uphill one from the start, and it had already been rather difficult for you to win because your Ralts’ Fairy- and Psychic-type moves weren’t effective against Alex’s and May’s Pokémon.

But compared to the next battle, it had been next to nothing. The next battle had been a close call. A really, really close call. After all, Ralts, being the secondary Fairy-type Pokémon they were, were weak to Poison-type moves – which Azula had used, amongst others. Luckily, that was also the case the other way around: Lina’s Nidoran♀ was weak to Raleia’s and Rineis’ Psychic-type moves, and you had played on that, of course. Just like Lina had taken advantage of your Feeling Pokémon’s weakness along with Kristie.

Well, anyways, to cut a long story short, you had been victorious in both Double Battles against your four best friends (somehow – seriously, how in the name of Arceus had you accomplished that?!), and despite of the individual outcome, it had been lots of fun for everyone, including your Pokémon.

After you had used your special herbal medicine mixture (whose ingredients your friends had adamantly insisted on refunding you for) to patch up yours and your friends’ Pokémon again, the five of you had, as previously agreed upon, begun to train with your Pokémon together along the gravel path and in Lucus Grove, the latter of which you were currently at.

Now that you had proven that you were indeed able to fend for yourself in Pokémon battles, your friends and you had split up so that everyone could train and fight on their own, and so as to not inadvertently scare off wild Pokémon you could battle against and maybe even catch.

You could still hear one your friends running about somewhere nearby, though. Twigs snapped beneath her feet and leaves rustled as she ploughed her way not-so-quietly through a clump of shrubs with her Pokémon in tow … That was probably Alex.

You yourself were doing just that as well (not as loudly as her, of course), roaming the grove in search of wild Pokémon or maybe even another Trainer you could challenge to a Pokémon battle, the shiny Ralts siblings close at heel.

It was early afternoon now. The great canopy of overlapping branches filtered the sun’s bright rays, speckling the leaves and forest floor beneath you where the light sifted through. Birds and similar Pokémon were chirping in the treetops and bushes. You saw smaller forest animals and Pokémon alike scurrying away here and there, scattering in all directions as you passed their hiding spots and unintentionally flushed them out, but you didn’t run after the Pokémon. They obviously weren’t hostile, and that was exactly why you wouldn’t force them into a battle.

You had resolved firmly that you would never go around engaging every Pokémon you came across into a battle, that you would only battle those who were willing to – or defend yourself against hostile ones if you really had no other choice.

It was then that a nearby bush rustled, immediately catching your attention, and you froze in your tracks. As you stood there, stock-still, widened [colour] eyes fixated on the bush beneath one of the many trees amongst the leaf-covered ground with patches of grass and moss here and there, you expected something (a wild Pokémon at best and an ordinary animal at worst) to come leaping out of it and maybe even attack you (in case of the Pokémon). But either failed to appear. In fact, nothing at all happened.

Whatever creature was in that bush, it had abruptly stopped moving the second you had yanked your head to look at its hiding spot, and consequently, the rustling had stopped as well. Everything fell silent again – apart from the typical forest sounds.

You narrowed your eyes at what you assumed (or rather hoped) was the hiding place of a wild Pokémon. It still had to be in there because you had neither seen nor heard something run away.

“There really is something hiding inside that bush.” Raleia’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts, and you looked down at her. She was standing in front of you in an almost protective manner, as if she was willing to defend you from whatever could jump out of the shrub and at you. Her horns were giving off a soft glow as she stared at the bush. “I can’t make out what it is, though.”

Rineis was mirroring his sister’s actions, looking fixedly at the supposed hiding spot while his two horns were shining dimly as well. “I d-don’t sense any h-hostility coming f-from it, s-so we should b-be fine.”

“Well, if that’s the case …” Without further ado, you dropped down to a kneeling position to make yourself smaller and show whatever creature was hiding in that bush that you weren’t a threat. “Hey there, cutie pie,” you softly said, extending your hand towards the bush and clicking your tongue. “C’mere. I won’t hurt you.”

Expectation: If you were really lucky and it was a Pokémon that was in there, then it was bound to react to your words in one way or another, may it be by complying and coming out of its hiding spot or answering you directly. (After all, your special talent did not only allow you to understand the Pokémon’s language, but also them yours.)

And if it was a wild, forest-dwelling animal (if that was really the case, then you assumed it was either a hare or a weasel or maybe even a fox), it would most likely not hesitate to flee. That was fine too. You were currently searching for Pokémon and not ordinary animals anyway.


	29. ⸢ Chapter 23 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Reality: Contrary to your expectations, nothing happened. Again. Neither did the creature respond nor did it come out of the bush to approach you or get the heck out of here. Actually, nothing indicated that the shrub was harbouring a living being at all. It was completely still; not even its leaves were moving in the slightest.

Was the creature even still in there or had it managed to take off unnoticed in some way? You directed this question at the two Feeling Pokémon who had been watching the bush intently for any signs of movement just like you. Now, at your enquiry, both their horns gave a faint glimmer that faded a moment later – but only in Rineis’ case, whereas his sister kept up her focus as she continued to stare at the bush.

“I-It’s still i-in there,” Rineis informed you quietly, turning his head to look at you.

“It’s agitated,” Raleia chimed in, all of her attention focused on the bush and what was hidden inside. “Very agitated, actually. I guess because you spotted it. But there’s still no hostility whatsoever.” After that, she averted her gaze and looked over at you as well.

The way they were looking at you told you that they wanted to know what you planned on doing next. But just as you were about to tell them that you wanted to try and approach the creature, in the hope that it was a Pokémon you could befriend so that it might allow you to catch it and make it part of your team, your ears picked up the rustle of leaves.

In almost comical synchrony, your two Pokémon and you yanked your heads in the direction the telltale sound had come from, only to see a dark figure, about the size of a small dog, emerge from its hiding place and start running.

You didn’t make a move to pursue the creature. Still kneeling on the ground, you stayed put and watched, albeit a tad wistfully, as it flitted across the forest floor, whirling up dead leaves. It had chosen to flee from you, so you wouldn’t try and run after it. The only thing you would achieve with that was that you would most likely send it into a panic.

You wouldn’t be able to catch up with the Pokémon/animal anyway. It was moving too fast for that, and furthermore, it was already too far away, both of which were the reason why you couldn’t make out what it was to begin with and didn’t even know for sure if it was a Pokémon. Though you would have at least liked to know if you had been lucky and it really had been a Pokémon – or just an ordinary, wild forest animal …

“Aw, really?” Raleia complained, her eyes fixed on the spot where the creature had last been visible before it had disappeared between the trees. “Bailing out on us as soon as we aren’t looking.” She tsk-ed in a disapproving manner. “What a wimp!” she shouted after the Pokémon/animal as though that would make it turn around and come back.

Rineis’ shoulders drooped, and he hung his head. “I-I’m so s-sorry. We g-got distracted a-and let it get a-away …” he mumbled, staring dejectedly at the ground.

You placed a hand on his head and gave him a sweet smile when he hesitantly looked up at you. “There’s no need for you to apologize, cutie pie. If it was a forest animal, then it’s only natural that it fled. And if it was a Pokémon, then it apparently didn’t want to talk with us. There was nothing either of us could have done to make it change its mind,” you assured him, “so don’t worry about it.”

Your soft, encouraging words seemed to have the desired effect as he slowly began to smile. “Y-you’re r-right …”

“I completely agree!” Raleia said with a decisive nod. “We didn’t even know for sure if it was a Pokémon! It could’ve been an ordinary animal just as well! So, c’mon, brother! Cheer up already!”

The playful jab in the side Rineis received from his sister with her elbow was also meant as genuine encouragement, but it caused a slight, pained grimace to dart across his features nonetheless, his small smile now seeming forced. “Y-Yeah …”

This display of (rather harshly expressed) sibling affection elicited a quiet laugh from you. You patted Rineis’ head one last time before standing up. “Let’s continue looking for wild Pokémon,” you said, brushing the dirt off your jeans and fixing the strap of your shoulder bag afterwards. “I’m sure we’ll have more luck next time.”

Both your Pokémon nodded, and so you continued on your way through Lucus Grove, trying to move as quietly as possible to not alert any possible wild Pokémon of your nearing presence and keeping your eyes peeled all the while.

As you were meandering around the small forest with your two Ralts, keeping an eye out for either wild Pokémon or Trainers who were willing to battle, you came upon your four best friends, one after the other, and had a brief chat with them before going separate ways again – well, in Alex’s case only after you had saved her from a pair of quite upset Tiny Bird Pokémon whose nest she had unintentionally disturbed.

Having come running after hearing her distant cries of “Ow, stop that, you stupid things!” and the like (along with squawks of “Go away, human! Leave our nest alone!”), you found her frantically running about in a circle, her arms defensively raised above her head to protect herself from the Spearow’s stubby, but sharp beaks.

Since the dual-type Pokémon were fluttering so close around the girl, her Pikachu Sparky had a tough time hitting them with her special moves without accidentally hurting her Trainer. She tried to drive them away with Growl instead – but to no effect.

Luckily, Raleia and Rineis were able to get the Spearow to stop assailing the poor girl with Peck by using Confusion on them and drawing their attention from her to you. While the two Pokémon were distracted, you subtly motioned Alex to seek shelter behind a nearby tree.

In spite of some initial, but only minor difficulties in making the still aggravated Tiny Bird Pokémon actually listen to you (the siblings had to help you out with Growl to make them less wary and calm them down just a little bit), you eventually convinced them that your friend hadn’t meant to upset them and wasn’t out to harm their precious eggs.

Following this, the Spearow – now mollified – returned to their nest, leaving Alex with dishevelled hair and a discomposed expression etched into her features, but otherwise uninjured (apart from a couple of superficial cuts on her lower arms), in their wake. After you had made sure that your friend really was alright and she had expressed her gratitude by squeezing you half to death, you two parted ways. An amused grin snuck onto your lips when you saw her pull faces at the Tiny Bird Pokémon but shrink back in alarm once they cawed at her and flapped their wings.


	30. ⸢ Chapter 24 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

For quite some time now, you had been feeling like you were being watched from the shadows, even though you never saw anybody every time you took a quick glance around (so as to not needlessly worry your Pokémon).

This weird and at the same time intense feeling as if a pair of eyes were fixed on you nonstop … You just couldn’t seem to shake it off – especially since you occasionally heard leaves rustling and crunching somewhere behind you.

No one, not a single person, came to mind when you thought about who would have a reason to tail you – let alone one of those reasons. Who would do such a thing in the first place? And, more importantly, why would they do something like this?

Nonetheless, your best friends were out of the question. You had met all of them; plus, they were – just like you – busy searching for wild Pokémon to battle … unless one (or more) of them had decided to sneakily follow you for fun, but you highly doubted that. They weren’t like that, and much less had they a reason to do that.

Furthermore, you were more or less one hundred percent sure that it wasn’t a co-worker or a classmate of yours either – or any other person, really. Why would they just randomly follow you around like some private detective straight out of a movie, shadowing his target person whilst trying his best not to be seen by them?

This didn’t make any sense at all. You could neither think of a person who had a reason to follow you nor a reason as to why they would even do that. The only plausible explanation left was that you were just imagining things. Yeah, that was probably it. The rustling leaves were just the wind’s doing, nothing more.

However, true to their names, your two Feeling Pokémon quickly noticed that something was bothering you, and of course, they immediately asked you about it since they were both worried.

They couldn’t locate anyone when you asked them if they could sense a presence nearby, but they pointed out multiple things to you: That the radius in which they could sense a living being’s feelings was limited and that whoever was possibly following you could be just right outside that radius and thus invisible to them – and that a Pokémon could very well be a possibility too.

That was when you realized something. Now that you thought about it, you’d had felt this way ever since you had come across that wild Pokémon/animal hiding in that bush. Could it be still the same creature which had been following you around since then for whatever reason? If that was the case, then it most likely was a Pokémon after all.

Well, there was only one way to find out. You abruptly stopped walking, startling both Raleia and Rineis who looked at you in puzzlement, and spun around on your heels, scanning your surroundings with narrowed eyes to see if you could spot your mysterious pursuer yourself.

As you let your eyes sweep the area, taking in the endless hiding possibilities there were – bushes, trees, rocks, a fallen tree trunk –, you noticed that you had come pretty close to Insula Cave again. In fact, you were just a few feet away from the edge of the clearing that surrounded its entrance.

This was where you had saved the Ralts siblings by chasing off a small pack of Poochyena, where you had encountered the Legendary Pokémon Ho-Oh (and, according to your friends, been blessed by it). Where everything had started, so to speak. And all of that had happened only just yesterday. These two encounters had changed your life, and that wasn’t even an understatement. The two Ralts had joined your Pokémon party, and you had decided to leave your hometown tomorrow and go on a Pokémon journey.

You couldn’t help but smile to yourself at these pleasant thoughts and memories, but you quickly focused your attention back on the matter at hand. Once again, there hadn’t been anything conspicuous in sight, but you still had this feeling as though you were being watched, so the culprit had to be around here somewhere, hiding from view – well, you supposed so, at least.

“I know you’re here,” you said decidedly and could only hope that no one else was around to witness you seemingly talking to yourself. “Come out already.”

At first, for an awkwardly long amount of time, nothing happened. As you stood there and waited in tense anticipation for what you assumed was the unidentified creature from earlier to come out of its hiding place and show itself, you slowly started to wonder whether there really was someone – or, as you assumed in this case, something – following and watching you. And your doubts grew with each passing second that everything stayed silent and motionless.

Why would the creature (or rather Pokémon, because that was what you believed it to be) follow you after it had run away during your first encounter? Again, this made no real sense to you.

Maybe you really had been imagining things all along. You’d had trouble falling sleeping last night, after all, and ever since you had awoken this morning, you had been in a constant state of excitement that had smothered any shred of tiredness you might have felt. In short, it was fairly possible that sleep deprivation was finally catching up with you, and now you were hearing things.

The way Rineis was looking at you when you caught his eye – as if he was a little worried that his Trainer was slowly losing her mind – made you feel a tad bit ridiculous and confirmed you in your assumption: You were, in all probability, tired and imagining things. There was nothing more to this whole situation.

At the same time, you also noticed that Raleia was vigilantly looking around. It seemed like she somehow knew of your (now discarded) theory that the Pokémon from earlier had followed you all the way here.

But just as you were about to write the things you thought you had heard off as pure imagination and move on because you didn’t want to waste any more time standing around and feeling like an idiot, something finally happened, at the last moment possible.


	31. ⸢ Chapter 25 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The branches of a bush some distance away parted and gave way to a Poochyena leaving its hiding place with its head and tail lowered, as if it was embarrassed that it had been found out. For a fleeting moment, the Pokémon glanced at you in an almost shy manner, but quickly averted its red-and-yellow-eyed gaze the instant its eyes met yours.

You found yourself smiling at this cute (in your opinion, at least) behaviour – it reminded you a lot of Rineis. Crouching down to make the Bite Pokémon feel more at ease, you gave it a welcoming smile and extended a hand toward it. “Hi, cutie pie,” you cooed.

Your gesture prompted the furry Pokémon to approach you – albeit carefully –, keeping its eyes downcast (bar a few times when it stole a glance at you) until you spoke to it. Then, it lifted its head to openly stare at you in admiration, its shaggy tail starting to wag, slowly at first, but gradually more quickly the more its obvious excitement grew. But barely a second later, the Pokémon abruptly froze in its tracks.

The cause for that was Raleia’s sudden outburst – “Oi!” – that didn’t only make the Dark-type Pokémon flinch, but also Rineis and you, and the three of you looked at her with differing emotions, from alarm (the wild Pokémon) and confusion (you) to surprise (Rineis).

“Wait a minute! Aren’t you one of those who attacked us yesterday?!” the female Ralts exclaimed. She had defensively jumped between you and the Pokémon all of a sudden and was now pointing an accusing and also warning finger at the latter. “Stay away from [Name]! Don’t come any closer, I dare you!”

Body and tail fearfully lowered, the Poochyena shook its head. “You’re mistaken! I didn’t attack you!” she (as indicated by the pitch of the voice) pleaded, an agitated look in her bicoloured eyes. “I’m not even part of that pack anymore! I left it to join yours!”

Although your curiosity regarding the last part of her statement was very much piqued, you pushed the desire to know more aside for now. You rather set about calming your Feeling Pokémon down first before she would do something rash – like attacking the poor Pokémon. “Hey now, take it easy, Raleia.”

“But –”

“She showed no sign of hostility,” you calmly pointed out to her. “You said that yourself, and Rineis too. If she really were out to attack us, then she would’ve done so by now.”

Raleia’s tangerine eyes widened when she saw her error, but she didn’t seem too happy about that, what with that frown taking over her features little by little – whereas it gave you a certain feeling of complacency, to be honest. Even though you tried to stifle it, the tiniest of smirks crept its way onto your lips.

With an irritated huff and a sullen scowl on her face, the shiny Ralts turned away from the Poochyena – who noticeably relaxed – and stomped over to you. She proceeded to stand there like a sulking child, arms crossed over her chest and all.

Rineis gave you (and the Dark-type Pokémon as well) an apologetic look first and then his sister a meek, yet meaningful one. Despite wincing at the morose glare he received from her in return, he continued looking at her pointedly, waiting for something.

After a few moments of struggling with herself, Raleia indicated with a brisk nod of her head that she (begrudgingly) acknowledged that what you had said made perfect sense. She even brought herself to mutter a quiet apology, though you weren’t sure at whom it was directed – you or the wild Pokémon.

You snickered. Now that this little issue had been settled, you turned to face the Bite Pokémon, smiling. “You’ve been following us around for a good while, right?”

“Since you entered this grove, to be exact,” she bashfully admitted with a weak nod of her head.

“Why didn’t you approach us earlier then?”

She looked away and soon began to squirm under your inquiring gaze in discomfort, bowing her head. She looked like, if she could, she would be blushing all over right now. Whatever the reason for her staying away from you until now was, she was clearly embarrassed about it.

“Come on, spit it out already,” the female twin grumbled. She had been watching the other Pokémon like a hawk with barely disguised wariness. “We don’t have all day.”

“S-Sister!”

“What? I’m just trying to speed things up a little bit here.”

You looked sidelong at Raleia, wordlessly chiding her for her rather rude behaviour towards the Bite Pokémon, though it actually seemed to have worked just the way she had intended to.

“I was too nervous …!” the female Poochyena blurted out, keeping her eyes glued to the ground. “Ever since I saw you yesterday, I couldn’t stop thinking about you and that I wanted to become part of your pack …” As she spoke, her voice grew quieter until it was barely above a mumble, and at the end of her sentence, she briefly gazed up at you, her tail giving a hesitant wag. Despite of her nervous demeanour, her eyes held a flicker of what you perceived as both adoration and determination, but it was gone too quickly for you to be certain.

This sight was absolutely endearing. Giggling, you reached over and rubbed her upright ears, and she gingerly leaned into the touch. “I’m flattered, cutie pie.”

“But when I finally did see you again,” she continued, “I just couldn’t bring myself to approach you, so I followed you around. I was hoping I would eventually gather enough courage, but …” She trailed off, fidgeting.

You were unable to prevent your smile from broadening into an amused grin this time – she was just too adorable –, but hurriedly scaled it back down to not make the Poochyena any more uncomfortable than she already was. “Is that why you fled from us the first time?” you asked in a gentle tone while you continued petting her head.

She nodded, looking slightly abashed as she glanced away, tail tucked between her legs. “Yes … When you spotted me, I panicked and ran away.”

“I see.”


	32. ⸢ Chapter 26 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Let me get this straight,” Raleia cut in, having snapped out of her sulk temporarily, and proceeded to ask the question you had been about to ask yourself, “You’ve been waiting for [Name] to come back here since yesterday?”

With her eyes still downcast, the Poochyena gave an affirmative nod. After a brief glance at the three of you (and seeing the surprised faces you all made), she bowed her head even lower than before in embarrassment, now refusing to meet your eyes.

“Oh my, that whole time? You shouldn’t have, cutie pie,” you said, your words tinged with a wisp of disapproval. “Why didn’t you just follow me like these two did? I read somewhere that Poochyena have a very keen sense of smell. It should have been a piece of cake for you to find me.”

“Yeah! And what would you have done if [Name] hadn’t returned, huh?” the female Ralts demanded. There was a challenging glint in her eyes as she stared the Pokémon down, but you managed to smother it with a reproachful look.

The Dark-type Pokémon hadn’t even noticed Raleia’s glower because she was still looking fixedly at the ground. “Well,” she began, awkwardly shuffling her black paws, “I have never left this grove before, and I was kind of afraid to, so I decided to stay here, wait for one day, and hope for the best …” She looked up at you. “But if you hadn’t shown up after one day, I would have gone and followed your scent.”

“Then you could say it was fate that we met here today,” you said with a lopsided grin. “You see, I plan on leaving this island tomorrow. Even if you had ventured outside this forest, you wouldn’t have been able to find me then. Luckily, I decided to come back here today to train, and that’s why we met.”

For a moment or two, her whole body froze, and then the shock registered on her face as the meaning of your words sunk in. “You … you mean, I would have never seen you again otherwise?” she sputtered, her red-and-yellow-coloured eyes widening.

Her comically distressed expression drew a small, light laugh from your lips you couldn’t quite stifle. “Cutie, what are you getting so worked up about? There’s no need to worry about this anymore,” you crooned, gently patting the grey fur of her head in a soothing manner. “We’ve met, and that’s all that counts.”

“Yeah, don’t get your knickers in a twist,” Raleia huffed with an annoyed upwards roll of her eyes. “Geez.”

After you had – once again – silently scolded her with a stern look, you changed the topic and said to the Poochyena in a cheerful tone, “So, you want to join my Pokémon party, huh? Like I said, we’re gonna leave this island tomorrow and go on a journey. Do you want to tag along?”

Inwardly, you wondered about that. Here was yet another Pokémon who went to look for you and asked you to let them join your party. What was up with that anyways? Well, not that you were complaining, not at all. Who even would? There was literally nothing to complain about Pokémon who wanted to become a part of your team. They definitely saved you the trouble of having to battle them first to weaken them and then throw a Poké Ball at them and hope for the best.

Both of your questions were answered by a vigorous nod of the Bite Pokémon’s head, and you chuckled, turning to look at the Ralts siblings. “What do you say, guys?” you asked. “Would that be alright with you?”

Rineis smiled back at you, a little shyly as usual. “That’s f-fine b-by me. T-The more the m-merrier, right?” he replied without much hesitation. You were relieved to see that he seemed to like the Poochyena already – you weren’t so sure about his sister, though.

You had the hunch that she was still in a fit of the sulks because of the little “incident” earlier when she had been forced to admit that she had been mistaken about the Poochyena and apologize, and you also suspected that she was miffed at the Pokémon because of that. But you couldn’t really tell if she was just giving her the cold shoulder to let out her sulky mood on her and would snap out of it soon, or if she actually didn’t like her.

Speaking of Raleia, her reply took a rather long time in coming. Hence, the three of you looked over to her, equally expectantly, to find her staring at the canine Pokémon with a pensive expression on her face. The dull shine of her light orange horns told you that she was carefully assessing the Bite Pokémon. You briefly wondered whether she had taken her eyes off the Poochyena once since she had shown herself … Probably not.

As her horns stopped glowing, she shrugged indifferently, arms crossed over her chest. “Well, she really doesn’t seem to have any bad intentions, so I don’t have a problem with her joining us … I think,” she muttered.

The smile that erupted on your face upon hearing Raleia’s answer was one of relief and happiness. She wouldn’t have accepted the Dark-type Pokémon into your party if she really did dislike her, and fortunately, it seemed like that wasn’t the case after all. “Really? Great! That’s settled then.” You smiled broadly at the Poochyena. “Welcome to my team, cutie pie!”

With her mouth opened in what seemed to be a big smile that bared her pointed teeth, she beamed at your two Pokémon and you. Her wagging tail whirled up dirt and leaves and even made the rear half of her body sway back and forth. She tried to suppress it, but was only partly successful, much to her own embarrassment and your amusement.

Instantly – and once more – grinning at her adorableness, you scratched her under the chin to ease her discomfort. “Want me to give you a nickname?”

She nodded rather stiffly, her teeth clenched in concentration as she tried hard to keep her enthusiasm under control. But the lively twinkle in her eyes was very much visible and spoke volumes.

“Alright, then I’ll call you …” You trailed off with a pensive hum, tapping a finger against your chin in deep thought. “How about … Phiala? Do you like it?” you asked and received another restrained nod. You flashed her a huge grin. “I’m [First name] [Last name], and these are Raleia and Rineis. I’m looking forward to having you in my team, Phiala!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here goes another written pronunciation - this time of the Poochyena's name:  
> Phiala: PHY-AH-LA


	33. ⸢ Chapter 27 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Shortly after that encounter, you started to make your way back to the entrance of Lucus Grove with your three Pokémon in tow. Phiala had, too, refused to go into a Poké Ball when you had offered her one, but you didn’t really mind. Although it did kind of bother you that you had apparently bought that whole bunch of Poké Balls for nothing …

Before your four best friends and you had split up and entered the grove, everyone on their own, you had agreed on meeting up at the end of the rock-strewn path again after about two hours. You would then go to the café in Hydra Town together and pass time there until evening, when your parents would end their shift at their clinic and leave to head home.

After all, you still had to tell them about your plans of going on a Pokémon journey – and show them your newly formed Pokémon team! Since you had last seen them yesterday night, they didn’t know of all the life-changing decision you had made today yet.

You wondered how they would react to everything … They would be surprised for sure. Just imagining their flabbergasted faces made you laugh quietly to yourself (which earned you weird looks from your Pokémon, but luckily, they didn’t ask any questions). Your parents would also be delighted, and undoubtedly very proud of you too.

You couldn’t wait to tell them about everything that had happened since this very morning! When you thought about it, it was still sort of mind-blowing. So many things had happened today, in the mere span of a couple of hours, and everything seemed to be linked to yesterday’s encounter with Ho-Oh …

Unconsciously, your hand moved upwards to touch the seven-coloured feather glued to the [favourite colour], plastic headband you were wearing. But before your mind could be, once again, taken over by restless thoughts, you shook your head to drive them away. You had promised your friends and yourself to not think about all this for the time being, and you were determined to keep that promise – for your own sake.

On your way through the woods, you were surprised (and relieved) to see Raleia abruptly stop sulking and strike up an animated conversation with your team’s newest member out of the blue. Her initial hostility towards the female Dark-type Pokémon had seemingly disappeared, just like that.

This sudden, unexpected change of heart didn’t only take you by surprise: Phiala was more than just a little taken aback when the shiny Feeling Pokémon suddenly began chattering away. She reacted reservedly at first, as though she suspected something fishy about the Ralts’ friendliness.

In the end, however, after some persistent prodding on Raleia’s part and encouragement on yours, the two of them got along just fine. They warmed up to each other in record time, despite of a somewhat rocky start of both their current chat and friendship altogether, and ended up bonding over their shared fondness for you – something which the Ralts wasn’t afraid of voicing although you stood right next to her, causing you great amusement.

The Bite Pokémon was far from being as brazen. She ducked her head in second-hand embarrassment once the female Ralts sibling started gushing about how cool you had been yesterday when you had saved her and her brother from Phiala’s former packmates. Even so, she was still hanging on Raleia’s every word.

Rineis and you watched them the whole time, an affectionate smile playing about both your lips. He was, of course, familiar with his sister’s antics, but you would grow used to them too soon enough, seeing that you would spend the next months travelling together – that you couldn’t wait for either!

Your friends were dumbstruck when they saw you emerge from the dense grove with more Pokémon accompanying you than when you had entered Lucus Grove a few hours ago. Rendered speechless, they gawked at you, eyes wide and mouths agape, for a good five seconds. May was the first to come back to her senses and congratulate you with a grin like a Cheshire cat, and then, the rest of your friends followed suit.

No sooner had you introduced your best friends and their Pokémon to Phiala and vice versa than the four girls quizzed you about how the Poochyena had become part of your team. Only after their every question had been answered to their greatest satisfaction and their curiosity had been quenched did they leave you be, and the five of you finally started heading for Hydra Town. Around you, your seven Pokémon romped and chased one another across the pebbles of the path and through the lush grass along its edges.

While walking, your friends and you talked about how many Pokémon and Trainers you had found in Lucus Grove and how many battles you’d had – or the lack thereof. You quickly found out that none of you had had that much luck and your search had been pretty fruitless, but despite this, you all still had had lots of fun.

After her unpleasant encounter with that pair of Spearows, Alex had focused on searching for Pokémon Trainers, but only Lina had been lucky enough to come across a bug-catching kid. A Poochyena had jumped out at and attacked May, but she had managed to make short work of it. And Kristie had tried to catch a Beautifly, but failed, unfortunately.

With this in mind, you could consider yourself quite lucky that, although you might not have found any wild Pokémon or Trainers to battle against in the forest, you had met a Pokémon who had readily joined your Pokémon party. You hadn’t even had to fight against it, let alone find it first.


	34. ⸢ Chapter 28 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

About twenty minutes later (twice the time you would usually need, but more on that later), May, Kristie, Alex, Lina, and you were seated at one of the tables outside the café in the town center of Hydra Town while your Pokémon were frolicking on the cobbled pavement. The five of you had just ordered your favourite desserts and drinks and – since this café also served Pokémon – some snacks for your smaller companions.

The melodious clinking of glasses, dishes, and cutlery and the low hum of conversation from inside and outside the small café filled the pleasantly warm air. As usual, a large part of your classmates had come here to relax in the afternoon, which was why the café was bustling with activity and life. Waiters and waitresses hurried from table to table, taking orders from the numerous customers, serving pastries, pieces of cakes, and drinks, or stacking up the used dishes.

The news about you finally having your very own Pokémon had apparently spread like wildfire since this morning because every classmate you had met – not only at this café, but on your way here as well – had come up to you and congratulated you. Every. Single. One.

The genuine joy you had felt about their heartfelt congratulations had easily subdued the tiny little bud of annoyance that had tried to take root because of the constant interruptions. Seeing so many classmates of yours being sincerely happy for you made you happy in turn – and that made your friends happy too, causing them to smile from ear to the ear the entire time.

“Do you already know where you want to go first?” Lina asked. The waiter who had taken your orders had just left, and the reddish-brown-haired girl was regarding you curiously as she propped her elbows up on the table and rested her chin on her hands.

“Oh, now that you mention it, I haven’t thought about that yet.” A sheepish smile flitted over your face before you lost yourself in thought, cocking your head to one side. “I think,” you spoke after a few moments, “since Caelum City is closest to Hydrus Village, I’ll go in that direction, and then, well,” you shrugged, smiling, “we’ll see.”

“I heard there was a new cave discovered in Mount Primo yesterday, and it’s said to be super cool! You should totes go check that out!” Alex suggested, her loud, excited voice drawing the attention of nearby customers, though she didn’t seem to notice.

After sending a withering look toward the ponytailed girl, May smiled at you. “I read an online article about it this morning. A sudden landslide exposed the entrance to that cave. They already dug up parts of a huge mural that’s reportedly more than a millennium old,” she told you. “They called it Origines Cave, if I remember correctly.”

“I agree with Alex,” Kristie piped up, giving you a soft smile. “I’m sure visiting that cave will be worth it. It’s on your way anyways – if you should decide to go in the direction of Caelum City, that is.”

Having been silently listening to your best friends’ conversation, the pensive expression on your face now melted into a smile. “Yeah, I think I’ll do that. I’ll go to Caelum City and then move on to Corona City to pay a visit to that Origines Cave. It seems really interesting. And after that, I’ll just see where life will take us. There are so many places I’d love to go to here in Virno, I’m sure I will always know where to go next.”

Suddenly, Raleia came bounding towards you, stopping short at your feet. As her tiny hands gripped fistfuls of your jeans’ fabric to steady herself, she gazed up at you, a weirdly intense look in her orange eyes. “Are you talking about our journey?”

Before you bent down to be at her level, you quickly looked around to see if anyone was currently looking in your general direction, which was not the case. “I’m sorry,” you whispered as you held on to your headband to keep it from falling off your head, “but I can’t talk right now.”

She tilted her head at you in confusion. “Why not?”

“Well, you see, apart from my parents and my best friends, no one knows that I can talk to Pokémon, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

The Feeling Pokémon’s expression fell for a split second, obviously disappointed that you had turned her down, but she brightened back up in a flash. “Oh, okay!”

“We’ll talk about everything later, when we’re back home and in private, I promise.” Smiling warmly, you patted her head and then sat back up, glancing about one more time just to make sure that really no one had seen you.

From the corner of your eye, you saw Raleia nod her agreement. She then skipped back to her brother Rineis, Phiala, and your friends’ Pokémon, picking up their little game of gambolling about where they had left off. In the short amount of time she had known the four Pokémon, she had already managed to make fast friends with them. Even Rineis and Phiala appeared to have befriended the other Pokémon.

The waiter from earlier came back to your table, carrying a tray laden with several dishes and glasses and a bowl piled high with various snacks for your Pokémon. After gracefully setting down the plates and glasses in front of your friends and you, he placed the bowl on the ground near your table and walked back inside the café.

Once they caught sight of the heap of frosted Poké Puffs and colourful Poffins, the seven Pokémon dropped everything they were doing, ran over to the bowl, and proceeded to gorge themselves on the snacks.

Your friends and you exchanged mirthful looks at your Pokémon’s eating behaviour, but wasted no time in following suit – though not as greedily –, indulging in the toothsome dessert and tasty drink each of you had ordered.


	35. ⸉ Intermission ⁽¹⁾ ⸊

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

As soon as the [colour]-haired girl had disappeared inside the café to go to the restroom, May placed her forearms on the table’s cool glass surface, on both sides of the empty plate of the dessert she had eaten, and leaned forward – at exactly the same time as the other three girls. Noticing this, they all looked at each other in surprise for a moment or two and then broke out into an amused laugh.

“Don’t tell me – Did we all have the same idea or what?” Alex asked with a snicker and a big grin splitting her face.

“If you’re talking about calling everyone from our class together to organize a nice leaving present for [Nickname], then yes, we did, apparently,” Lina replied, and May and Kristie both gave an affirmative nod. Her jade green eyes were twinkling with mirth.

Alex’s grin widened, which May hadn’t deemed possible. “Sweet!”

“Well, it goes without saying that we’ll give her a present before she leaves,” May said in a matter-of-fact tone. “That’s the least we can do.”

Kristie nodded. “You’re right!”

“So, what should we give her?” Alex asked as she slid her chair closer to the table, looking at the other girls. “Any ideas?”

Leaning back in her chair, May let out a long, thoughtful hum, her arms crossed over her chest as she pondered. “It should be something that will help her on her journey. That would be the best, in my opinion.”

“Yeah, I think so too,” Lina said.

After that, the four girls sank into a brooding silence. Lost in her thoughts, May stared vacantly into space with her brows furrowed in concentration whilst wracking her brains to come up with the perfect gift idea for her best friend. The whole time, she kept an eye on the door to the café, in case [Nickname] should return sooner than expected – it would be quite unfortunate if she accidentally overheard them talking about the surprise they were planning.

“Money?” May suggested after a couple of seconds, but then shook her head, dismissing that idea. “No, scratch that. That’s too impersonal. And her parents are probably going to give her some pocket money anyway.”

“How about Poké Balls? Every Trainer needs them,” Alex remarked into the brief silence that had ensued.

“[Nickname] doesn’t, apparently. Have you seen her Pokémon in their Balls once so far?”

Alex’s forehead puckered in a thoughtful frown and her brown eyes shifted over to said three Pokémon at Lina’s question. They were still frolicking around with their new Pokémon friends, not showing any signs of exhaustion. She shook her head.

“See? Giving her Poké Balls would be a waste of money,” Lina said.

May nodded her head in agreement, and so did Alex and Kristie, the former uttering a quiet “Yeah, you’re right.” Then, they all fell silent again. But it wasn’t too long before May’s ruminations about what kind of leaving present to make [Nickname] were interrupted.

“Did one of you here see the Rainbow Pokémon, Ho-Oh, yesterday afternoon in Lucus Grove?” someone asked, their voice loud and clear enough for everyone to hear over the constant buzz of conversation.

The moment she heard this, May’s gaze snapped up to meet her friends’. Surprise was written all over their faces – along with one question that May, too, was asking herself: How did someone else know of [Nickname]’s encounter with the legendary bird? They all turned towards the one who (for some mysterious reason) knew of what their friend had seen in the grove.

There, at the edge of the cluster of tables and chairs, stood a man and a woman. They were wearing bizarrely old-fashioned clothes kept in shades of black and purple, as if they had escaped from a historical novel, what with the doublet the man wore over his dress shirt and the corset, complete with a bodice, the woman was dressed in.

The question the man of the pair had asked raised a few eyebrows amongst the customers, except for May, Alex, Lina, and Kristie. While they just stared at the strangers in a combination of confusion and wonder (and, in May’s case, a pinch of suspicion as well), everyone around them began talking in hushed whispers. Some exchanged puzzled looks, others shook their heads haltingly.

May noticed [Nickname]’s shiny Ralts tensing up at the sight of the two weirdos (and that they were all right), with Rineis hiding behind Raleia. Just like them, May had a bad feeling about these oddly dressed people – a very, very bad feeling.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alex make a move to raise her hand in response to the question. Her own hand shot forward in a blur of speed and clamped down on her friend’s wrist, pinning it to the table before the girl could even lift her hand from the table’s surface.

“Ow! What the –”

“Are you stupid?” May hissed, cutting Alex off in the middle of her sentence and returning her reproachful look with a withering one of her own. “We promised [Nickname] not to tell anyone about what she told us – and that includes those weirdos over there!”

“But –”

With a blazing glare, she nipped her friend’s protest in the bud. “But me no buts! And now shut your mouth, for Arceus’ sake!”


	36. ⸉ Intermission ⁽²⁾ ⸊

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Of course, the girls’ little squabble didn’t go unnoticed by the two strangers. They marched over to the table the girls were sitting at, heads held high and backs as straight as a die, walking with a graceful, dignified gait like that of a real noble. What on earth was going on here?

“Do you have something to say?” the woman asked, her blue eyes shifting back and forth between May and Alex. Upon coming closer, May could make out an emblem on her chest: the capital letter “D” in purple and written in a beautifully intricate, calligraphic script. The man was wearing such an insignia as well. “Did one of you happen to see Ho-Oh?”

Not missing a beat, May bluntly retorted: “No, we were just talking about which dessert to have next.” As she looked the strange woman dead in the eye in an almost challenging manner, she waved a nearby waitress in her field of view over who immediately complied.

“Ho-Oh was last seen in Johto, wasn’t it? What should it do here in Virno, and on Hydra Island of all places?” Lina’s questions received nods and murmurs of agreement from the other customers, most of which were their classmates.

“Yeah, what kind of weird question was that anyways?” one of them spoke up. “What’s Ho-Oh supposed to do here?”

“Who in the world even are you people? I’ve never seen you here before!” another added.

“And what’s up with those outfits you’re wearin’, huh? Ya look like some wannabe nobles or some shit! Are ya from a theatre or what?”

“Go bother someone else with these stupid questions of yours and leave us alone already!”

By now, the majority – if not everyone – of the girls’ classmates had arose from their chairs or at least turned towards the weirdos. All of them had fixed their angry gazes on the two pseudo nobles who were slowly backing away. Even their respective Pokémon began to growl or make other threatening noises, fangs and claws bared, ears flat against their heads, fur bristling, feathers ruffled, and tails swishing back and forth.

The only thing missing from the picture were their classmates starting to chant, “Go away!” while throwing rotten fruits and vegetables at the pair. But the ruckus the teenagers were raising was already enough to cause the peculiar strangers to beat a retreat without saying another word.

May watched their departing forms, her eyes narrowed down to slits. The farther they were away from her, the more this uneasy feeling that was sitting heavily on her stomach dissipated and the more her classmates’ flared tempers cooled off again.

Just what was it about these strangers that made alarm bells go off in her head? She couldn’t quite put a finger on why, but she had learned to trust her gut feeling – and it told her that this pair was not to be trusted under any circumstances. The fact that they knew of Ho-Oh appearing above Lucus Grove didn’t exactly inspire trust, let alone that they were actively searching for [Nickname] … Thank Arceus that she was still away.

“Would you finally let go of my hand again? Please?”

Alex’s whining voice snapped May out of her thoughts and caused her to abruptly let go of the girl’s wrist. She had been so busy dealing with that pair of weirdos that she had paid no attention to everything else and totally forgotten that she was still holding onto Alex’s wrist.

While shooting May indignant looks, the brunette girl drew back her hand and rubbed over the red imprints in the shape of fingers May’s vice-like grip had left on the skin around her wrist. “Ouch. You didn’t have to be so rough,” she muttered, pouting.

“You were just about to put your hand up, and that was the quickest way to stop you!” May shot back. “These people were the shadiest characters I’ve ever seen, and you just went and tried to attract their attention! How naïve can you be?!”

“But they obviously knew more about what [Nickname] saw! That was our perfect chance to find out more and help her figure things out!”

“What did I just say? Didn’t you see that they’re not to be trusted? It was basically written all over them! How do they know about Ho-Oh, huh? [Nickname]’s the only one who saw it! So how come they knew about it? Do you have an explanation for that? No, of course not!”

“But they must’ve found out about it somehow!”

“By some questionable means, obviously, which makes them all the more suspicious! I’m glad we were able to chase them away!”

“I agree with May,” Lina then cut in, causing May to nod with grim satisfaction and Alex’s pout to deepen. “Everything about them smelled fishy. I don’t know what they are up to, but it can’t be good. I wonder who they are … and how they know so much.”

“It gives me the creeps that they are searching for [Nickname]. I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if they had seen her …” Pulling the trenchcoat she was wearing more tightly around her petite form, Kristie shook her head, as if trying to dispel these thoughts.

“What do you mean?” May asked. But not even a split second after the words had left her lips, realization hit her like a bucket of ice-cold water being dumped over her, and her blue eyes widened.

“She’s still wearing Ho-Oh’s feather, isn’t she? Since the strangers are so well-informed about what happened in Lucus Grove yesterday and searching for her, I’m sure they would have been able to recognize one of Ho-Oh’s feathers as well.”

“Speaking of her, what’s taking her so long anyways?” Alex wondered.


	37. ⸢ Chapter 29 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

As you bid goodbye to your best friends (who would stay at the café a little longer) and headed off to your family’s clinic with your three Pokémon, the strap of your shoulder bag slung over your shoulder, you mulled over what they had told you after you had returned from the restroom.

A pair of shady characters wearing very strange clothes similar to costumes from a stage play about kings and queens had shown up at the café and asked whether anyone had seen Ho-Oh – and if that wasn’t already surprising (and creepy) enough, they had also mentioned the exact time, date, and location of the encounter you had had with the Legendary Pokémon.

Neither your friends nor you could make head or tail of how they knew all that. If Ho-Oh had been visible not just to you, but to everyone, there would have been a huge clamour about it, beyond doubt. But no such thing had happened, which was why you were convinced that the legendary bird had revealed itself to you only.

The question remained: How in the world did they know about that? More importantly, why were they even searching for you in the first place? What could they possibly want from you? And what would they do once they had found you? Perhaps they could give you the answers to all the questions that had been floating around in your head regarding your encounter with Ho-Oh.

However, your friends, their Pokémon, and your Pokémon had strongly advised you to stay away from these people should you happen to run into them by yourself. Especially May and the Ralts siblings had stressed multiple times that something was very off about them. Since May’s gut instinct was practically never wrong and the two Feeling Pokémon could sense emotions (and they had sensed something malign in the strangers’ intentions), you had resolved to heed that warning.

There was no point in thinking too much about this incident right now anyways, let alone trying to figure it out. You would only get a headache again. Thus, for the time being, you cleared out all the questions and thoughts in your head, your [colour] eyes focusing on the [favourite colour] headband in your hand.

The four girls had urged you to stop wearing it. Since those weirdos – whoever they were anyway – somehow were so well-informed about what had happened yesterday, they most likely were very well-informed about Ho-Oh too. In other words, it was highly probable that they could recognize the Rainbow Pokémon’s feather.

You didn’t want to tempt fate a second time. You could count yourself lucky that your visit to the restroom had taken longer than expected because something had suddenly broken and an employee of the café had had to fix it in great haste. This hadn’t taken too long, just a couple of minutes, but it had kept you from meeting the pair of strangers unprepared.

Hence, you stored the headband in your shoulder bag, careful not to damage the beautiful multi-coloured feather attached to it. These strange people wouldn’t take notice of you when there was nothing about you connecting you to the Legendary Pokémon – especially nothing as obvious as one of its feathers.

All you had to do now was to steer clear of them if you came across them again, and according to your best friends’ and your Pokémon’s description of them, that should be fairly easy, seeing as they were not that hard to spot due to their flashy clothes.

Knowing that there were some suspicious characters searching for you for reasons you didn’t know (and didn’t really want to know either) was definitely unnerving, if not downright spine-chilling. You had even considered giving up on your plans of travelling the region for a moment – or maybe even two … or three –, but had discarded that thought again.

Everything up until now would have been in vain. And you didn’t want to disappoint your Pokémon either – or your friends and your parents, for that matter. No, you wouldn’t let these people ruin your Pokémon journey (which hadn’t even begun yet, mind you), much less intimidate you or make you hole up in your room!

You would go on this journey, no matter what. You had been dreaming of this for so long, of leaving your hometown to travel across the region you were living in – and maybe even beyond –, with your Pokémon at your side. In that aspect, you weren’t any different from most kids nowadays.

If you backed down now, you would never get to realize that dream of yours. You would never get to see what lay beyond the two islands – and never find out why Ho-Oh had appeared before you. You were determined to do just that, and you wouldn’t let anyone or anything stop you, not even those weirdos. To the Distortion World with them! And at a pinch, you could always defend yourself against them with the help of your Pokémon.

As you walked along the sidewalk, you closed your eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling through the nose and then exhaling through the mouth, breathing out all the worries and doubts that had piled up in you once more because of this incident. Then, you opened your eyes again, nodded to yourself, and zipped your bag shut.

Barely a second later, you were glad that you had listened to your friends’ advice and taken off the plastic headband. Just on the other side of the street were two persons, and the description of the odd strangers the girls had given you fit them to a T. Luckily, they were being busy talking to a group of teenagers, and you hurried on ahead without being noticed.


	38. ⸢ Chapter 30 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

After a few minutes of walking, your parents’ clinic for Pokémon came into view. Located on the ground floor of a two-storey building near the town center, it stood out a mile because of the large cross that was attached to the projecting roof above the entrance. Its top half was coloured red and the bottom one white with a black line in between, just like a Poké Ball.

The automatic doors slid open quietly when you neared them. You stepped into the waiting room with your three Pokémon by your side, greeting a young girl who was hugging a Stufful tightly to her chest with a nod and a smile as she walked past you with heavy steps and left the clinic. She was visibly struggling to carry the Flailing Pokémon – which was a little heavy for a kid like her –, but sheer determination (or rather stubbornness) made her move onward regardless.

Shaking your head in amusement, a smirk tugging one corner of your mouth upwards as you watched the girl go, you turned forward again, only to start back in surprise. You could only just prevent a squeal from escaping you, but quickly regained your composure. “Geez, Rosa, you really gotta stop sneaking up on me like that!”

“Look what the cat dragged in,” the tan girl standing right in front of you drawled, her face split into a big grin. She had been sitting behind the reception desk just a second ago, but had crept up on you while you had been distracted. As usual, she ignored your mild reproof and wrapped an arm around your shoulders instead. “Looks like the late bloomer finally became a fully-fledged Pokémon Trainer. It was about time!”

You batted her hand away when she tried to muss your [colour] hair, giving her the evil eye. “No, stop it! Don’t you dare! My dad did that often enough yesterday!” you grumbled, though that only made her laugh.

At that moment, the double door to the back area of the small clinic was pushed open, and Felix, another one of your co-workers, appeared. A grin like a Cheshire cat’s spread over his lips the second he laid eyes on you. Without saying a single word, he turned on his heel and left through the door from which he had just emerged.

“Huh? What was that about?” you wondered, confused by the boy’s behaviour, and turned to Rosa for help. Maybe she knew something – and it seemed like she really did, because you found her wearing a knowing, roguish smile.

In response to your questioning gaze, her smile grew into a smirk, but she didn’t bother to answer your unspoken question. “Don’t worry about it,” was all she said as she waved her hand in a dismissive manner before changing the subject. “C’mon, let’s sit you down. The docs are still busy with some patients, so you gotta wait a little bit.” With her arm still around your shoulders, she steered you into a nearby chair and sat beside you.

You had scarcely made yourself comfortable with the Ralts siblings huddled together on your lap and Phiala curled around your feet when a small commotion erupted in the hallway, followed by what sounded like a stampede of Tauros rushing towards the waiting room. Before you realized what was happening, a bunch of people had already burst through the double door and crowded round you. They were bombarding you with questions left and right – and all at the same time. You couldn’t understand what exactly they were asking, but you heard the words “Pokémon” and “Trainer” being mentioned quite a few times.

As soon as you had overcome your initial surprise at being besieged like this, you burst out into hearty laughter. “Guys, please, don’t all talk at once!” You had to raise your voice to be heard above this hubbub of voices, but you were still laughing. “I can’t understand a single word you’re saying!”

Near-instantly, your co-workers – from both the day and the night shift since the change of shifts was currently underway – stopped talking, but their eyes remained fixed on you, a burning curiosity in all their gazes.

With a chuckle and a crooked grin, you gently patted Phiala’s head in an effort to calm her since your co-workers’ sudden barging-in had scared her – much like Rineis. Then, you looked back up at your co-workers, some of which were clad in casual clothing while others were wearing the white nurse uniform of this clinic. “I guess you want to know why these cuties are with me, huh?”

“Tell us everything that happened since yesterday evening,” Delia, a girl who was just a few years older than you, breathed, her brown eyes sparkling. “Absolutely everything!”

And thus, you spent the following (at least) ten minutes describing down to the last detail how the three Pokémon had become part of your team – except for the parts where you had talked with them and the fact that you had seen Ho-Oh, of course. The seven nurses kept quiet the whole time, hanging on your every word as they looked at you like little kids would while listening to an adventurous tale about princesses, knights, and Dragon-type Pokémon. A few of them even pulled up nearby chairs to sit on, their eyes not once leaving your face.

But they weren’t the only ones listening intently to your story – the two Ralts and the Poochyena were too. Phiala had sat up straight at your feet, a little bashful, but nonetheless bursting with pride. But whereas Raleia was revelling in this situation with her chest puffed out, her brother Rineis had huddled up even closer to you in a feeble attempt to escape your co-workers’ curious gazes.

In the meantime, four other people crossed the waiting room and left the clinic, three of them being patients with their now-healed Pokémon and one of them being the third doctor of the day shift staff, Augustus. The latter just grinned at the sight of you and your Pokémon being surrounded by the other nurses. Before he walked out the door and disappeared from your field of view, he gave a quick wave of the hand you mimicked with a polite smile.


	39. ⸢ Chapter 31 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

You co-workers broke out into loud, excited chatter as you ended your last sentence of the story of how you and the three Pokémon had ended up together. They showered you with hearty congratulations, effusive praise, and words of advice for the future, just like your best friends and your classmates had done, giving you a slap on the back, patting your head, or – of course – ruffling your hair.

“Taking a journey with your Pokémon is a really wonderful experience!” Junia said – and she could speak from experience because she had already finished her Pokémon journey four years ago, having left the island at the age of 11 and returned two years later.

“You’ll have Pokémon by your side at all times, so you’ll be just fine,” Amelia assured you with a brilliant smile, “believe me!” She looked on amused as her brother Nik, who was leaning against the wall behind you, slung his arm around your neck and pulled you close.

Your face contorted in pain a moment later – not just because of the chair’s metal frame that was pushing uncomfortably into your back and against your spine, but also because of the playful noogie the boy was currently giving you. “For Arceus’ sake, Nik! Let me go already!”

Alas, Nik remained unfazed by your struggles to free yourself of his headlock. All you achieved with them was that his lips curled into a smirk. “You got nothing to worry about, shorty! Just go out there and enjoy your journey to the fullest!”

The laughter, snickering, and giggling of the other nurses died down as the sound of someone clearing their throat coming from the other end of the waiting room grabbed everyone's attention. The consultant of the night shift’s team of nurses, Doctor Horatio, stood in front of the double door, next to your parents. But unlike them who were both smiling in amusement, he wore a severe expression and had his arms folded over his chest, tapping his fingers on his upper arm.

He fixed Rosa, Amelia, and Nik, one by one, with a hard glare that wiped the grins right off their faces, and they all gulped audibly. “What are you doing here in the waiting room? I believe your shift has only just started, and not ended.” That was all he needed to say to make the nurses from the night shift scramble to get back to work.

After the three of them had given you quick, but tight hugs and affectionate pats on the head (and, in Nik’s case, another gentle noogie you couldn’t evade) and told you to call them sometime, they hurried past Doctor Horatio, studiously avoiding his stern gaze. But they turned around once more and waved you goodbye before disappearing in the back part of the clinic to care for the Pokémon that were not yet fully healed.

Giving a slight cough, Felix strained out a smile. “Well, we better get going too then,” he said, and your three other co-workers – Junia, Candace, and Delia – murmured in agreement, all eager to get away from Doctor Horatio who was notorious for his strictness.

The four of them, too, briefly hugged you and tousled your hair for the umpteenth time in the past twenty minutes – and for the umpteenth time as well, you immediately set about smoothing it again to prevent it from looking as though a Swablu had tried to make itself at home on top of your head. They said their goodbyes, wishing you good luck on your journey, and then left the clinic with hasty steps.

The smallest of smiles slowly worked its way across Doctor Horatio’s face when he turned to you next, softening his usually stony expression as he looked at you over the rims of his glasses. “Going out on a Pokémon journey really helps you mature,” he said. “Have faith in your Pokémon and yourself, and I’m certain you will do alright.” And with that, he turned around and followed the night shift nurses through the double door.

“So, you really decided to go on your Pokémon journey now after all, huh?” your dad asked with a mischievous grin and then added, in mock reproach: “Interesting how we, your parents, are the last ones to know.”

You shrugged, feigning indifference, but you couldn’t suppress a smirk. “Well, it’s not my fault you were busy the whole time,” you quipped.

Your mom covered her lips with one hand to muffle her laughter at your banter, though a few giggles still slipped past her lips. “Tell us the whole story on our way home, alright, sweetie? I bet that these two,” she smiled sweetly at the shiny Ralts siblings who were still sitting on your thighs, “tipped the scales for you. They are the ones you found in Lucus Grove and who disappeared from their room during the night, aren’t they?”

You chuckled. “Yeah, exactly. C’mon, guys, let’s go home.” Motioning the Feeling Pokémon to jump from your lap and the Bite Pokémon to get up from your feet, you stood up afterwards. You stretched and put your hand over your mouth just in time to stifle a yawn. After this non-stop busy and eventful day, you were slowly getting tired …

“Are these your parents?” Phiala asked. She was sniffing the air whilst cautiously eying the – in her eyes – strangers. “They smell a little like you.”

After a quick glance about the waiting room to make sure you were really alone and no one was about to come in – better safe than sorry, right? –, you nodded affirmatively, smiling. “I haven’t introduced you to each other yet, have I? Yep, these are my parents. Mom, dad, these are Raleia, Rineis, and Phiala,” you said, introducing your three Pokémon to your parents as you pointed at them one after the other.

Raleia cheerfully waved to your mom and dad who both laughed and waved back. “Hey, Mr. and Mrs. [Last name]! Nice to meet you!” she chirped, with her brother Rineis and Phiala greeting them as well, and you relayed their words to your parents.

Your mom bent down and held out her hand toward the female Dark-type Pokémon, giggling when Phiala licked her hand. “Nice to meet you too, darlings. I’m sure you will take good care of my daughter.”

“Hey, it’s not like I can’t stand on my own two feet,” you muttered, putting on an expression that was something like a fake pout mixed with a barely restrained grin.

“We’ll see about that, honey,” your dad replied, deadpan, causing you to pout for real this time. Unfortunately, you noticed too late that he was reaching for the top of your head or, more specifically, your hair – and the inevitable happened once again.

“Dad! Not again!”


	40. ⸉ Intermission ⸊

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

A series of quick heavy knocks echoed loudly through the grand hall, three in number, and jolted King Ophiuchus out of his thoughts. The light of the setting sun framed his lean body as he stood in front of the row of large windows behind his desk, gazing out at the landscape. His silhouette and that of his Mightyena lying on the floor beside him stood out clearly against the violet-and-red-tinged evening sky.

Upon hearing someone knocking at the door to his “office,” King Ophiuchus returned to his throne-like chair with the Bite Pokémon at his heels and sat down. While he crossed his slender legs, the Mightyena resumed his usual sleeping spot on the carpet in front of the solid desk. After clearing his throat, the young man called out, “Come in.”

The wooden double door’s leaves were pushed open, revealing a dark-suited man. He hastily entered, pulling the door shut behind him, and proceeded to hurry past the marble columns lining the purple carpet on both sides as quickly as he could without breaking into a run. In front of the flight of steps, he came to a halt, bowing low to King Ophiuchus whose ruby eyes had been following his every movement the entire time. “We have news regarding the whereabouts of the Destined One, Your Majesty.”

King Ophiuchus leaned back in his chair, signalling the man with a motion of his gloved hand to continue. His ever-present, bland smile didn’t give away his inner restlessness. “Speak,” he ordered. There was a touch of impatience in his voice.

“It seems they have already left Hydra Island,” the male grunt said as he stood up, but kept his head bowed. “We have asked around and looked everywhere for them, but we couldn’t find anyone who has seen the Rainbow Pokémon. Our search on the neighbouring island, Hydrus Island, was also in vain, I’m afraid.”

The corner of the King’s mouth twitched in irritation, and his chiselled face darkened into a frown – just for a split second, though, before he regained his composure and put on his usual unreadable expression. “Is that so?” He shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter. Proceed just as planned and send teams to the hot spots. The cave and the shrine have priority, the tower isn’t that important. The Destined One is bound to show up at one of them sooner or later.”

The man nodded. “Yes, of course, Your Majesty. The Destined One will be yours before long.” He bowed once more before he turned to leave, crossing the hall in a couple of strides and disappearing through the double door.

A mere second after the door was shut, the twins emerged from the shadows in the two corners in the back of the huge room, to both sides of the elevated platform on which the King’s desk stood. They ascended the flight of steps and walked over to said desk with noiseless steps and in perfect synchrony.

“Do you still want us to sit back, milord? I’m pretty sure the two of us would have more success in tracking the Destined One down than these grunts,” the male twin said bluntly. A sly smirk spread across his face, and his blue eyes twinkled in somewhat malicious glee. “Then you’ll have them and their power in next to no time.”

Without so much as looking at him – much less answering him –, King Ophiuchus stood up from his chair and moved to stand at the window front once again. “My orders remain the same,” he replied after a short silence. “You will take action only if everything else fails.”

“Yes, milord,” the girl said with a slight bow of her head. Her voice, her eyes, her expression – her everything was devoid of emotion as she blankly stared ahead, standing as straight as an arrow.

Her twin brother made a sound that was something between a sigh of defeat and an exasperated moan and muttered, “Understood, milord.” With that, he and his sister silently returned to their respective seat hidden in the shadows, leaving the King to himself and his thoughts.

King Ophiuchus knew very well that Ares wanted nothing more than to go out there with his sister Eris, track the Destined One down, and bring them back to base. He knew that this probably wouldn’t take as much time as it would if they lay in wait for the Destined One. But he also knew that the twins would most likely intimidate the Destined One and drag them here by force, and he didn’t want that.

First, he wanted to try and see if he could get the Destined One to join him voluntarily. If they decided to willingly help him, then that would make things a whole lot easier for him than if he had to force them to do what he wanted. And if the Destined One became a member of his team of their own accord, then he was very much willing to share the unlimited power he would gain with them.

His lips irked up into a warped smirk. “You’re just putting off the evil hour, Destined One. You cannot outrun the inevitable,” he mumbled to himself, a whirlwind of nervous excitement and eager anticipation raging in his insides.

* * *

_You cannot escape us,_

_Destined One._

_We will find you._


	41. ⸢ Chapter 32 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

On your way home, you told your parents everything you had already told your co-workers, but this time, you really told them everything and didn’t skip a single thing. Though you did so in muted tones while making sure that no one was listening in on you, neither unintentionally nor intentionally. You especially kept an eye out for those weird pseudo nobles, but you didn’t see them for a second time – thank Arceus. If it were up to you, you wouldn’t come across them ever again.

However, at that particular time you didn’t yet know that these people were dead set on finding you and would spare no expense or effort to achieve this goal of theirs. They were determined to find you at all costs, even if it meant scouring the entire region, searching high and low for you … You were bound to meet again.

Right after dinner, you went upstairs into your room with your three Pokémon. Carefully taking the map of Virno off the wall above your desk, you spread it out on the floor, and Raleia, Rineis, and Phiala immediately gathered around it.

“Are you going to tell us what your friends and you talked about, regarding our journey?” the female dual-type Pokémon asked as she plopped down on the floor. Reaching for the now nearly empty bowl of various Berries she and the two others had had for dinner – your friendly neighbour had allowed you to pick them from the trees growing in his garden –, she popped a few into her mouth.

“Yeah. See, we’re here.” You pointed to an isle located to the south of a peninsula and to the east of a larger island. “This is Hydrus Island. And I think it’d be best if we go here first,” you said, moving your finger to the tip of the peninsula where Caelum City was sited. “My friends recommended visiting Origines Cave in Mount Primo – which is here,” your index finger wandered over to a mountain in the southeast of the mainland, “so we’d go to Corona City afterwards to get there.” You traced the route from the port city to the nearest city and then to the nearby mountain with your finger.

Having concluded your explanation, you looked over to the three Pokémon. They had been listening attentively this whole time and even ignored the remaining Berries, their eyes following your finger’s every move. “Are you okay with that?” you asked. “Or would you like to go somewhere else, take some other route maybe?”

“That’s totally fine by us!” Raleia immediately piped up. “Right, brother?” She cast an expectant glance at her brother who hurried to nod his head.

“Y-Yeah …”

“And what about you, cutie? Is that alright with you too?” you asked Phiala.

Without any great hesitation, the Dark-type Pokémon nodded in agreement. “I don’t care about where we go,” she began, but then hesitated and averted her eyes, her voice dropping to a mumble when she added, “as long as we go there together.”

“Aww, aren’t you cute,” you said, chuckling, and rubbed her head affectionately. “Well, this is settled then. After we’ve been to Origines Cave, we’ll just decide on a whim where we’re gonna go next. There are so many places I want to go to, so many things I want to see …” As your eyes scanned the map, taking in the countless symbols representing cities, towns, villages, and places of interest, your gaze fell on the marker of a town sited on the grassy slopes of Mount Circinus.

Near this mountain town famous for its thermal springs stood Campana Tower, a tower that was rumoured to be a roost of Ho-Oh. Maybe – just maybe – you would come across the Rainbow Pokémon there. And then, perhaps, you would be able to talk to it, find out why it appeared before you and seemingly chose you …

You knew that the chances of you actually meeting it were slim, but it was still worth a shot, especially since you were going to go in that direction anyways. Lyra Town was not too far away from Corona City, you just had to follow the mountain path connecting the two settlements to get there. And afterwards, you could proceed to Auriga City which was perched on Mount Circinus’ peak and visit Katy just like you had promised.

Again, Phiala didn’t hesitate a single second before agreeing with this suggestion of yours – but the siblings did. For a split second, they exchanged sidelong glances you couldn’t quite interpret as an equally inscrutable expression flitted across their faces, and then they looked back at you, smiling broadly.

“S-Sounds like a p-plan,” Rineis said.

“I don’t mind! You’re the boss, after all!” his sister Raleia added in a cheerful sing-song voice.

You stared at them, a little confused. You could have sworn that they had looked like they had wanted to say something ... But had you just imagined it? In the end, you just shook your head, a smile building on your lips. “Glad to hear that.”

You went to bed far earlier than usual this evening, even before your parents. You still had to make up for the time you had lain awake last night, and you wanted to be well-rested when you hit the road tomorrow morning. You also expected excitement to keep you awake for a while, but just a few seconds after you had burrowed down beneath the covers, with the three Pokémon huddled up to your side, sleep overwhelmed you.


	42. ⸢ Chapter 33 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The next morning – at 7am, an hour later than usual since you wouldn’t go to school today –, you awoke to the beeping of your alarm clock and to the chirping of birds and similar Pokémon outside your window. The moment you opened your eyes, you were already bubbling over with energy and excitement for what was to come today.

You didn’t waste any time throwing the covers off you and jumping out of bed. A sense of anticipation was buzzing in your chest the whole time you were following your normal morning routine: donning the outfit you had put out yesterday evening, eating breakfast with your parents and your Pokémon downstairs, and then getting ready in the bathroom (doing your hair, brushing your teeth, and so on).

Raleia, Rineis, and Phiala stuck to you like glue this morning, following you wherever you went as you bustled about the house. Like yesterday, the female Ralts was making things difficult for you by scurrying around right in front of your feet, urging you to hurry up every five seconds or so – as if you weren’t already in a hurry. But you knew that you would just waste your time and breath if you told her to calm down. So instead, you just focused on not tripping over her. Rineis still tried his best to get his sister to stop pestering you, but – just as expected – achieved exactly nothing with that.

A little while later, just as you came skipping down the stairs and landed on the floorboards with a thud, your Pokémon following close on your heels, the doorbell rang. Since you were standing just a few steps away from the front door, you immediately went to answer the door.

You already knew who was standing at the door. Yesterday at the café, your four best friends and you had agreed on meeting up one last time before you would depart – which was a matter of course, really –, and they had readily offered to come to your place in the morning. But, to your surprise, you didn’t find only them standing in front of you and smiling at you when you opened the door, but also one of your co-workers from the clinic.

Your mouth formed a little circle, and you blinked at Candace in surprise. She was breathing rather heavily and her brown hair was a little messy from the wind, as if she had run all the way here. “Oh?”

Giggling breathlessly, the girl waved to you. “Hey, [Name]. What’s with that face? Did you really think we’d let you leave just like that, without giving you at least a present?” she asked, flashing a toothy grin. Indeed, she seemed to be hiding something behind her back with one hand. “I’m the only one who was allowed to go, though.”

“We have something for you too!” Alex proudly declared and pointed at the gift-wrapped object resembling a tool box in shape and size that Kristie was holding.

You began to smile brightly at your five friends. “Oh, wow, really? Thanks, guys! Then come on in!” You stepped aside to let them enter, but only your best friends did, whereas your co-worker didn’t move and just shook her head.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t stay long,” Candace said. “We have lots of work to do at the clinic right now, and I have to go back as soon as possible. I just came to give you the present.” At this, she produced a sphere or ball of some sort, almost like a Poké Ball, from behind her back and held it out to you, smiling. A beautifully tied [favourite colour] bow was wrapped around the white gift wrap. “So, here you go. It’s from all of us. I hope you’ll like it.”

After you had taken the present from her, you leaned forward to envelop her in a quick hug. “Thanks so much, Candace. I’m sure I’m going to love your present. And pass on my thanks to the others too!”

She squeezed you tight. “You’re welcome. And will do,” she said as she let go of you and gave you a warm, kind smile. “We wish you all the best, [Name]. Don’t forget to call us.” Waving you one last time, she turned to leave and took off running towards the nearby ferry landing.

Only when she was out of sight, having disappeared behind another cottage, did you stop waving at her departing form, and then you went back inside the house and closed the door. This had been the last time you had seen Candace (and all your other co-workers yesterday) in person, but it wasn’t like you would never see them again. You could call them on their PokéNav Plus any time you wanted. But still, you couldn’t help but feel a little sad …

Your mom’s head appeared in the doorway to the living room as she peeked into the hallway, a gentle smile lighting up her face when she saw your friends. “Hello, girls,” she greeted them, and they all greeted back cheerfully. Then, she looked at you. “There was no one else at the door, was there, sweetie?”

You shook your head. “No, why?”

With a hum, she glanced at the watch around her wrist, her brows knitted. “Well, a surprise guest was supposed to arrive a few minutes ago already, but it seems like he’s running late …” she mumbled, partly to herself and partly to you.

“‘Surprise guest’?” you echoed as you cocked your head in both curiosity and confusion. “What are you talking about?”

She laughed. “Now, now. It wouldn’t be a surprise anymore if I just told you now. You’ll have to be a little patient, sweetie,” she said with an amused smirk. Although that made you even more curious, you knew that you had no other choice but to wait, like she had said. “But don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll arrive soon. Until then, how about you come sit with us in the living room? I see you have surprise gifts for our daughter as well.”

“You got a present for me too?” you asked. A smile grew on your lips and quickly turned into a full-blown grin from ear to ear. This day was getting better and better!

Your dad appeared on the stairs, holding a jingling pouch in one hand and a small square object with a strange protrusion at one side covered in [favourite colour] gift wrap in the other. “Of course not, honey,” he deadpanned. “We’re cruel parents who don’t give their only child a leaving present before she sets out on her journey.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly why I was surprised,” you retorted sarcastically and straight-faced, rolling your eyes. “Duh.” You proceeded to have a stare-down with your dad which ended in you both grinning at each other.


	43. ⸢ Chapter 34 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Alright then, come along, ladies. It’s time for [Name] to unwrap some presents.” Walking past you towards the living room, your dad signalled the five of you (or, to be precise, eight, since your Pokémon were with you) with a nod of his head to follow him, which you did. He placed the two presents on the coffee table, and Kristie and you followed suit, setting the respective gift down too.

Afterwards, you all took a seat. While your dad sunk into his beloved wing chair, your mom, your best friends, and you sat down on the adjacent corner couch, with the four girls sitting on either side of you. The three Pokémon joined your mom on the other side of the couch since there was no room left for them near you.

“Which one do you want to open first?” your mom asked. She was watching you with a smile playing about her lips whilst petting Phiala who had settled down beside her. The shy Dark-type Pokémon seemed to have taken an instant liking to her.

“Open ours, [Nickname]! Please,” Alex drawled in a pleading voice as she clutched your arm. Giving you puppy dog eyes you had long grown indifferent to while fluttering her eyelashes, she added: “Pretty please!” But the next second, she let go of you again to clasp her arm where May had lightly punched her. She shot the brunette girl a nasty look. “Ow! Do you always have to be so violent?”

“Don’t be such a wuss. I didn’t straight up punch you. And now leave [Nickname] be already,” May barked. “Just let her decide on her own.”

“You both, stop arguing,” Lina chastised the two of them, but was ignored as they had already began bickering. “Guys!” she repeated, more fiercely (and angrily) this time. Still no effect.

Kristie tried her luck at calming the two squabblers down by pleading with them in an almost exasperated manner. “Guys, please! Stop already! Why do you always have to fight over the smallest things?” Alas, her words fell on deaf ears.

Ignoring your friends’ squabbling, you stared at the array of presents laid out on the table, engaged in thought, as you tried to determine which you were most curious about. Was it the ball? The oblong? The chinking pouch (which you suspected to contain money)? Or the cube with the oversized thermometer thing sticking out? You weren’t sure. The only thing you knew for sure was that you were curious about them all. Hence, to not waste any more time, you just randomly grabbed the present closest to you which happened to be the oblong item from your best friends.

You weighed the object in your hands, trying to figure out what it could be. It was a bit heavy, and there seemed to be multiple objects inside. You heard them clunking when you moved the tool box(?), tilting and shaking it. Carefully, you removed the wrap from the gift and found a rectangular yellow box with a single drawer that held tweezers, some cotton swabs, a comb, a small towel, a brush, and a travel-sized dryer.

“This is the latest trend from Alola,” Lina spoke up. “It’s a Pokémon Refresh Kit that allows you to care for your Pokémon after a battle. When they’re wet, you can blow-dry them, when they’re all dusty, you can brush them off, or when they’re dirty, you can clean them with the towel – well, you get the idea.”

“This present isn’t just from us, though! Everyone in our class pitched in to buy it!” Alex chirped. “Even some of our teachers!”

“They wanted us to give their best wishes to you.” May’s tender smile turned into a smirk. “And they want you to call us as often as possible so we can pass on the news to them and keep them up-to-date as well.”

“Do you like it?” Kristie asked gingerly, as though she was afraid that you would answer no.

You broke into a huge grin – a sight which made the blonde girl smile with a sigh of relief. “Of course I do!” you exclaimed. “This is just perfect! Thank you so much, guys!” You embraced your friends one after the other.

“I’m glad you like it,” Lina smiled.

“C’mon, on to the next gift!” Alex urged you. She had grabbed onto your arm again and was now tugging on it, trying to get you to choose the next present to unwrap. She was on the edge of her seat (both literally and figuratively), although she wasn’t even the one that got to tear the wrapping paper off the presents.

“Alex …” May said in a low warning tone, her azure eyes narrowed at the girl in a vexed glare Alex was blissfully unaware of because she was too focused on your presents.

Next was the cube with the protrusion which were in reality two separate items that were, in turn, part of a kit – the Pokéblocks Kit, to be precise. The cube was a portable Berry Blender, while the thing that had looked like an oversize thermometer to you turned out to be a Pokéblock Case.

The pouch held (just like you had suspected) money your parents had been saving up in secret, and it was a hefty sum of it at that! You were going to get by on just fine with the pocket money you now had. Of course, you hugged both your parents really tight, saying “Thank you” over and over again.

And last, but not least: The sphere. The feeling of holding it in your hand … It was somehow familiar. It felt almost like you were holding a Poké Ball – and exactly that it turned out to be after you had gotten rid of the bow and the gift wrap. (You peeled the former off the ball, very careful not to damage it in any way, because it was just too pretty to throw it away.)

Without more ado, you stood up from the couch. Moving past your friends into a more open space, you sent the Pokémon out. The Poké Ball clicked open, and a beam of dazzling light shot forth, assuming the shape of a bipedal Pokémon that went up to your chest.


	44. ⸢ Chapter 35 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Before long, an Audino had materialized in front of you. You recognized it as one of the Pokémon that were working alongside the nurses in your parents’ clinic; it was a she and had already helped you out a lot. Nevertheless, this sight drew exclamations of surprise and joy from your parents and your friends – and you yourself.

“Wow, an Audino!” you heard Kristie breathe in admiration behind you, almost drowned out by Alex’s delighted squeal.

“What a wonderful gift,” your mom said, a smile audible in her voice.

A sunny smile appeared on the Normal-type Pokémon’s face when her cobalt eyes found yours. “Oh, hello, Miss [Name]! It’s wonderful to see you again. I heard the others talking about how you decided to go on a journey. Is that true?”

You bent down just a bit to her eye level, placing your hands on top of your thighs, and smiled back at her. “It is,” you answered. “That’s why you’re here, actually. The staff gave you to me as a gift. Do you mind?”

She shook her head, her smile broadening. “No, not at all! I’m so glad I get to be a part of your team and join you on your journey, Miss.”

“Please, just call me [Name].”

“Alright! [Name] it is, then! And what should my nickname be? If you want to give me one, that is.”

“How about … Amra?” you suggested after pondering for a couple of moments.

“That’s a wonderful name. I love it!”

You chuckled. “Well then, Amra, I’d like to introduce you to my other Pokémon,” you said as you turned and looked towards where your mom was sitting on the couch (with an amused twinkle in her eyes) and where you had last seen your three Pokémon, only to find that they had disappeared. Before you could begin to wonder where they could have gone, you heard Raleia’s voice right next to you.

“Hey! I’m Raleia!” the shiny Ralts warbled. “And this is my brother Rineis, and this is Phiala! Nice to meet you, Amra!”

Turning back around, you found the trio already standing in front of the newest addition to your Pokémon party. Raleia was beaming up at the Hearing Pokémon with a dazzling smile as if on behalf of Rineis and Phiala who were both just smiling shyly.

“Hello there! Nice to meet you too. I’m looking forward to travelling with you all! I’m sure we will have lots of fun together,” Amra said.

Just then, someone rang at the door, and both your parents near-instantly jumped to their feet and hurried out of the living room to go answer the door. You heard your dad mutter, “It was about time,” under his breath as he walked past you. Upon noticing your curious look, a roguish smirk crossed his face, and he winked mischievously at you before he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him.

“I bet it’s that surprise guest your mom mentioned earlier,” Alex said.

“I wonder who that could be …” Kristie mused aloud, gazing at the closed door to the hallway.

You gave a hum of assent as you, too, stared at said door. You could hear muffled voices coming from the direction of the front door, but unfortunately, the animated chitchat of your (now four) Pokémon made it impossible for you to make out what these voices were talking about – they were far too quiet anyways.

Indeed, who could this mysterious surprise guest be? They most likely had something to do with your impending Pokémon journey, but you just couldn’t think of anyone who would fit this description. Besides, when had your parents contacted them and asked them to come here?

“I think I know,” Lina piped up while her lips twisted into a knowing grin, whereupon everyone immediately turned to look at her in wonder.

“Me too,” May added, and the two of them grinned at each other.

Alex gawked at them in wide-eyed surprise. “Really?! Then what are you waiting for?” Grabbing May – who was sitting next to her – by the arm, she fixed her eyes on her in a piercing look. “C’mon, spit it out!” she demanded. “Who is the surprise guest?”

May huffed. “No,” she brusquely declined without a moment’s hesitation as she shook herself free of Alex’s grip and then crossed her arms over her chest. “I won’t ruin the surprise for [Nickname].”

Lifting her shoulders in an apologetic shrug, Lina shook her head when Alex directed her imploring gaze at her. “Me neither.”

With her lips pursed into a sulky pout, Alex folded her arms across her chest and looked about ready to stomp her foot in childlike anger if she weren’t sitting right now. “You’re so mean!” she complained. Then she seemed to have a sudden idea, her coffee-coloured eyes lighting up, and she clasped her hands together, fluttering her eyelashes at May. “Can’t you at least whisper it into my ear so [Nickname] won’t hear? Please?”

“Only for you to spill the beans in your excitement directly afterwards?” May let out a derisive snort. “Yeah, right. You can kiss goodbye to that.” She shrugged indifferently. “Sorry not sorry.”

“I promise I won’t! Cross my heart and hope to die!” Alex assured. Her voice had adopted a pleading, almost desperate tone.

May gave her a doubtful look, one eyebrow raised. It was plain obvious that she wasn’t buying what Alex said, like, at all. “I’ve known you for pretty much my whole life now, and I know for a fact that you won’t be able to keep that promise. So, no. Not happening.”

“Oh, c’mon! Don’t be such a killjoy! May, please! I’m begging you!”

“No.”

“Pretty please!”

“Do I look like I’m gonna change my mind any time soon?”

“Maybe?”

Lina and you exchanged amused looks while Kristie watched the two girls’ verbal exchange with her brow creased with worry. Before it could turn into one of their infamous noisy quarrels about something trivial again, the door was opened, and your parents came in. They were followed by a tall man in a lab coat carrying a large, bulky leather bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's how you pronounce the Audino's name:  
> Amra: EM-RAH


	45. ⸢ Chapter 36 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Alex, Kristie, and you all gasped, but the former definitely was the one who gasped the loudest at the sight of Virno’s acclaimed Pokémon Professor entering the living room behind your parents. Meanwhile, May and Lina both just smiled complacently.

Professor Hyperion studied the communication between Pokémon and humans and had, despite his rather young age, already published several articles in the National Pokégraphic and Pokémon Researchers Monthly magazines. You had read each and every one of his reports in hopes of finding out more about your ability to talk with Pokémon – its origins, whether there were other people like you, and the likes.

But you had had no success, unfortunately. The Professor hadn’t made any mention of other people with the same ability; he had only mentioned repeatedly that there was no known way to communicate directly with Pokémon. Apparently, you really were the only person able to understand Pokémon.

Anyhow, he was the last person you had expected to be the surprise guest really. How in the name of Arceus had your parents gotten him – a renowned Pokémon Professor who probably had better things to do than to visit some random girl, mind you – to come all the way here from his lab in Apus Village? Especially since it usually was exactly the other way around!

“Good morning, young ladies,” Professor Hyperion greeted the five of you with a charismatic smirk. You stammered out a greeting, your friends following suit. “I’m Professor Hyperion, but it seems like you already know that.” His violet eyes passed over your friends and you until they came to rest upon you. “You’re [Name], aren’t you?”

Your confusion reached a new peak. Your mouth popped open in a little, round “o,” and you opened and closed your mouth a few times like a Magikarp out of water as you tried to get past your immense surprise. But none of the words you wanted to say, none of the questions you wanted to ask came out, like, “How do you know?” You were absolutely positive that you had never met the Professor in person before!

Your best friends seemed to be just as perplexed as you, looking back and forth between you and the Professor with eyes as wide as saucers. Their faces reflected one big question mark.

The Professor chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

You blushed as soon as you realized that you were staring at him bug-eyed. You hastily closed your gaping mouth, shooting your dad a nasty look when you heard him snicker. “Yeah, that’s me, but how did you –”

Without further ado, Professor Hyperion walked past you over to the coffee table, ignoring your unfinished question. On his way past, he glanced at your four Pokémon – who were already looking at him attentively –, but paid them no further attention. After he had set the gym bag made of leather down on the low table, next to the big, colourful ball of crumpled gift wrap, he undid the clasps with one hand and beckoned you over with the other. “Come here, little miss,” he said, turning his head slightly to look at you.

You finally managed to recover control of yourself, shaking your head as if you were shaking off the daze, and complied. You were going to get the answers to the questions you were itching to ask sooner or later, but for now, you would focus on the matter at hand – especially since it had stirred up every ounce of curiosity in your body and captured your attention.

The closer you got to the Professor and his suitcase, the more your heartbeat quickened as a wave of excitement swept over you, burying the confusion beneath it. That suitcase could only mean one thing, couldn’t it? Was he really going to offer you one of the three starter Pokémon?

You took a glance over your shoulder at your parents. Your mom was leaning her head against your dad’s shoulder, and your dad had his arm gently placed over her shoulders as they both watched you with loving smiles on their lips. Your dad grinned at you when he noticed that you were looking in their direction.

Turning your head back towards Professor Hyperion, you saw that he had opened his bag in the meantime, revealing what was stored inside, namely lots of scattered papers, a few notebooks, and – judging from the sounds he caused as he rummaged around in it – a couple of loose pens and pencils and something made out of glass as well. When he pulled his hand out of the brown bag, he was holding a small, flat box. After removing the lid, he presented its contents to you: three Poké Balls in their smaller form.

In a matter of seconds, a smile so broad it hurt your cheeks had stretched across your lips. Your guess had been spot on! You really were going to get to choose a starter Pokémon! You hadn’t even started your Pokémon journey yet – much less left the island –, and yet here you were, about to choose the fifth member of your Pokémon team. Just one more, and you’d already have a full Pokémon party! How cool was that?!

From the corner of your eye, you saw your four best friends giving you enthusiastic double thumbs-ups and radiant smiles. As you flashed a grin of your own at them, your eyes barely left the three Poké Balls, only flickering over to the girls for a brief moment. You didn’t want to miss a single second of this.

“One of these Pokémon will be your partner,” the Pokémon Professor began and pointed to the Poké Balls one after the other, beginning with the one on the right, as he went on, “This one here is the Water-type Pokémon Froakie. It may act carefree, but it always keeps its eyes peeled. Next up is the Fire-type Pokémon Fennekin. It has quite the temper, but don’t worry, it will try its best for you. And last but not least, the Grass-type Pokémon Chespin. Although it tends to get into trouble because of its curiosity, it remains optimistic and doesn’t worry about small details. Which one do you choose?”


	46. ⸢ Chapter 37 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Immediately, you extended your hand towards the small box, but didn’t yet pick up one of the Poké Balls inside. Your fingers hovered mere inches above the one in the middle without actually touching it while you mulled over the question the Professor had asked you, letting out a continuous hum. Which one of these three starter Pokémon should you choose?

They all sounded like good companions, and you were sure you would get along with them all. You were exceptionally good with Pokémon and able to handle even the prickliest and grouchiest ones (which came as no surprise really since you had practically grown up and spent most of your life in your parents’ clinic and, as a result, around all kinds of Pokémon). Furthermore, you liked every Pokémon type and didn’t exactly have a favourite – or least favourite, for that matter – either. Decisions, decisions …

You must have unconsciously lowered your hand while deep in thought because you felt the distinctively cool, smooth surface of a Poké Ball brushing against your fingertips. That was when said Poké Ball started to quiver and wobble all of a sudden, as though it had developed a life of its own. And then, it abruptly reverted to its full size and snapped open.

As if hypnotized by a Hypno’s pendulum, you could only watch as bright light spouted from the inside of the Poké Ball and zipped towards the floor in a frenzied zigzag pattern. But you weren’t the only one who was rooted to the spot in frozen fascination. Everyone else was too, including Professor Hyperion himself. Surprise registered on his face, his widened eyes following the wavering shafts of light the Poké Ball spurted.

The light gathered and massed on the wooden floorboards, just a few inches away from your sock-covered feet. Soon, the flickering outlines of a Pokémon, about knee-height and with remarkably large ears, formed and took shape until a Fennekin stood in front of you, staring intently at you, sizing you up. Why was it looking at you in such an intense way? As if it was peering into the bottom of your heart … It made you feel just a tad uneasy.

The baffled silence that had fallen over the room didn’t last long and was quickly broken by Alex. With a booming laugh and a broad grin, she exclaimed, “Look at that! You didn’t choose a starter, [Nickname], a starter chose you! That’s awesome!” Little did you realize that she had, once again, hit the nail on the head.

“But … isn’t it practically impossible for a Pokémon to leave its Poké Ball?” Kristie tentatively piped up. “How did it do that?”

You were asking yourself the exact same question. After all, you had learned in school that it was extremely difficult for Pokémon to escape from their Poké Balls once they had been caught because the Poké Ball sealed itself tightly shut as soon as a Pokémon was taken into it, yadda yadda yadda.

With her arms crossed over her chest, Lina nodded, her brow furrowed in a pensive frown. “I wonder about that too.” She looked from the Fire-type Pokémon over to you. “You probably pressed the button by accident, didn’t you?”

Scratching your head, you stared at the Fox Pokémon, puzzled, and it stared back at you. “I guess,” you said as a statement, though it sounded more like a question because you weren’t sure if that really was what had happened. You couldn’t remember pressing the button, just touching the Poké Ball … But you must have accidentally pressed the button, just like Lina had said. You nodded as if to convince yourself. What else could have caused the Poké Ball to open other than you doing it unintentionally? “And then the Poké Ball opened on its own or something.”

The Pokémon’s ears perked up and turned in your direction the second you began to talk, the tufts of red fur inside twitching. Then, its eyes widened in realization. Its reaction to being able to understand what you said wasn’t any different from every other Pokémon before it, and you could barely prevent your lips from curling into an amused smirk despite your current puzzled state. You would never grow tired of seeing those expressions. They were just way too hilarious.

“You, human!” the Fennekin barked. Judging by the tone of voice, it was a female. She was eyeing you warily, hackles raised and her puffy tail held high and rigidly still. “Who are you? And why can I understand what you’re saying? There’s something about you … I don’t know what is it, but it really drew me in!”

You kept staring at her without saying anything, pretending that you weren’t being spoken to. You didn’t let on that you had understood what she had said to you. After all, nothing had changed about the fact that you had to keep your ability a secret, and now that you would get used to Pokémon being around you literally 24/7, it was going to be a lot harder.

But you already had lots of practice at not drawing attention to yourself or, to be exact, to the peculiar ability you possessed. You had been doing that literally your whole life. From now on, you would always have to be on your guard and make sure that no one was around before chatting with your companions, and it surely was going to get annoying real soon, but you were going to manage.

Nonetheless, the last thing you needed was the Pokémon Professor himself discovering your secret. He was already gazing at you with a thoughtful expression on his face … He had most likely noticed the starter Pokémon’s peculiar reaction to you, the way she was staring at you with narrowed eyes. That wasn’t good, not at all.

Since he was studying the human-Pokémon communication, you would be the perfect test subject – and that wasn’t exactly something you wanted to be. Although it was possible that he would be able to find out more about your ability if you told him about it, you had better things to do than taking part in experiments. Like embarking on your Pokémon journey, for example, now that you had finally decided to do so.


	47. ⸢ Chapter 38 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

So as to not arouse the Professor’s suspicion any further, you bent down to pick up the Poké Ball that had fallen to the floor after the Fennekin had surprisingly left it. Speaking of whom, she was still talking to you, demanding an explanation from you as to why she was able to understand you, but you ignored her.

As much as you wanted to talk to her and clarify things for her to calm her down, you couldn’t. Simple as that. She had to wait until the Professor had left, whether she liked it or not – and she didn’t seem to like it at all. She was visibly growing more and more irritated by the moment, and this conspicuous behaviour of hers attracted Professor Hyperion’s attention all the more.

Locking eyes with the Fox Pokémon, you whispered to her “Later,” scarcely audibly, in an attempt to hush her – and it worked, thank Arceus. Though she didn’t seem too happy that she had to be patient. Nevertheless, you gave her a quick, grateful smile.

Or maybe she didn’t have to wait that long after all. Just then, the two shiny Ralts siblings rushed to your assistance, followed by Phiala. Amra hesitated for a moment before hurrying after them. She was clearly confused by this sudden fuss they were making about the Fennekin. She didn’t yet know that you could talk to Pokémon only in front of a select number of people and had to conceal your ability from everyone else.

Raleia, Rineis, and Phiala began to talk to the Fire-type Pokémon in an insistent tone of voice. You blocked out most of their talking to focus fully on the current situation, but from what you did pick up, you could tell that they were informing her about your ability and telling her that you couldn’t talk openly right now.

In the meantime, you straightened up and held the empty Poké Ball out to the Pokémon Professor, smiling sheepishly. “I’m sorry, Professor. I didn’t mean to send the Pokémon out,” you said, causing him to tear his gaze off the five Pokémon he had been regarding with interest and direct it at you instead. Even though only you could understand them, it was still obvious to everyone else that they were talking to each other.

With a nonchalant sweep of his hand, he waved your apology aside and took the Poké Ball from you. “Don’t worry about it. Well then, do you want to pick this Pokémon as your starter?” he asked whilst toying with the Poké Ball, repeatedly tossing it into the air and catching it again with ease. “Though she doesn’t seem to like you that much.”

You didn’t have to think twice before you gave an answer, “No, it’s fine. I choose the Fennekin. I bet she was just caught off guard because she was sent out from her Poké Ball so suddenly. We’ll get along just fine.” Squatting down in front of the group of Pokémon, an affectionate smile on your lips, you extended your hand, palm up, towards the Fox Pokémon. “Isn’t that right, cutie? You’re part of my team now. And your nickname shall be … Faniola.”

You could feel Professor Hyperion’s eyes on you as he watched you interact with the Pokémon. But you didn’t have to worry about him hearing you talking to your Pokémon. Honestly, who didn't talk to their Pokémon as if they were pets? Pretty much everyone did that. Hence, as long as you made it seem like you were merely talking to your Pokémon, it would never occur to others that you were actually talking with your Pokémon. You had been doing that your whole life now and had always gotten away with it.

The Fennekin briefly sniffed at your hand and prodded it with her cold, wet snout. Then, she nudged under your hand so you could rub her pale-yellow-coloured head between her big ears, nestling into your palm with a contented sigh when you did. “Sure! I like that name! And I like you too!” she said, and your smile widened.

“Aw man, now you already got five Pokémon!” Alex complained with a whine in her voice. “I’m so jealous!” With her arms crossed over her chest and her lips pursed in a childish pout, she sank further into the couch.

A self-satisfied grin crawled to your lips as you continued petting Faniola – and now Raleia too. Bold as she was, the Feeling Pokémon had just gone and stood beneath your other, free hand, tugging at it until you had started to pat her head. “Yeah, I know,” you retorted. “Isn’t it great?”

Alex’s face lit up like the sun breaking through dark clouds. She nodded her head in such a vigorous manner she had to blow her bangs out of her eyes afterwards, which made you laugh lightly. “Totes! With five Pokémon at your side, you can’t be any more prepared for your journey! You’re gonna be able to take on anything, I’m sure of it!” she exclaimed, and the three other girls nodded solemnly in agreement.

“Are these other four Pokémon yours? Even the shiny ones?” Professor Hyperion asked, honest surprise colouring both his voice and his face.

You leaned your head back to look up at him. “Yeah. The shiny ones were my first two, actually. They joined my team because I rescued them,” you told him with a faint, nostalgic smile, to which he gave a short hum. It had only happened the day before yesterday, but so many things had happened since then that it felt like at least a week had passed already. And today you were going to set out on your Pokémon journey.

After you had given all of your five Pokémon an affectionate pat on the head, you stood up and turned to face the young Pokémon Professor, offering him a bright smile. “Thank you so very much, Professor. For coming all the way here and letting me choose a starter Pokémon. I really, really appreciate it.”

He shrugged off your thanks as though it wasn’t a big deal that he had taken the trouble to visit you. “Not at all. I just owed you a favour, and now we’re quits,” he replied, giving your parents a meaningful glance. But before you could ask what he meant with that, he went on, “But that wasn’t all I wanted to give you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Fennekin's name goes like this:  
> Faniola: FAH-NEE-OH-LA


	48. ⸢ Chapter 39 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Turning back to the coffee table, the Pokémon Professor reached inside his leather bag and produced a cylindrical glass container from it. Inside, a big, lavender egg with purple markings sat atop a pillow-like blanket. He held it out to you.

You couldn’t believe your eyes, dumbstruck by this astonishing sight. A Pokémon Egg! You had never seen a real one before, only pictures of different Eggs in the chapter about Pokémon breeding in the Pokémon Care textbook from school. It looked so pretty!

Alas, you didn’t recognize the dark pattern that stood out in strong relief against the Egg’s pale shell, and couldn’t tell which Pokémon was going to hatch from it … You were only familiar with the Pokémon native to the two islands and several other Pokémon as well, like Lina’s Nidoran♀ she had caught during a trip to the mainland. But these elliptic, somewhat teardrop-shaped markings didn’t ring a bell.

“C’mon, take it already, little miss,” Professor Hyperion said. Practically thrusting the Egg case into your hand, he broke you out of your stupefied state as you scrambled to get hold of the glass container before it would slip from your grasp and smash on the floor. “It’s a gift from me.”

“Huh?” was all you managed to say to that. You didn’t understand what was going on anymore. Why did the Professor give you a gift? And a precious Pokémon Egg at that! No one would just up and give that to a complete stranger as a present. With a determined shake of your head, you tried to give it back to him, saying, “I can’t possibly accept this, Professor.”

But he just folded his arms over his chest. By doing this, he thwarted your attempt to press the Egg case into his hands and, on top of that, prevented you from giving it back to him altogether, instead forcing you to keep holding on to it. “Of course you can.”

“You probably don’t remember, sweetie, but you once treated his Pokémon when you were younger,” your mom explained, as if she had picked up on your confusion. She was smiling warmly, a stark contrast to the frown creasing your brow. “It was admitted to the clinic with a high fever, and you nursed it back to health with your special herbal medicine mixture. This Egg is from his Pokémon. He insisted on giving it to you.”

“You saved her life,” Professor Hyperion chipped in, his eyes fixed on you with an intense, unwavering stare. “I still don’t know what exactly you did, but somehow, just by looking at her, you could tell that she had mistakenly eaten poisonous Berries. And then you ran out and came back with some herbs you fed her. Thanks to you, she was back on her feet in next to no time.”

This explained why he had recognized you – and why he had been willing to leave his lab to visit you. You scratched your neck as you cracked a tense smile whilst trying to fight back the tension seeping into your limbs. If only he knew … You had, undoubtedly, talked with that Pokémon of his – unnoticed by the Pokémon Professor himself, though, as it seemed. Thank Arceus. “I don’t remember any of that, but I’m glad I could be of help.”

“Even when you were just a tiny tot, you were already a chip off the old block and treading in your parents’ footsteps. And you still are one talented nurse. No wonder the [Surname] Clinic for Pokémon is becoming more and more famous.”

Flattered (and taken rather by surprise) by the Professor’s candid praise, you found yourself blushing a little. Being so forthright complimented by an acclaimed Pokémon Professor sure was a nice feeling. You smiled brightly at him. “You really think so? Thank you very much, Professor.”

“But why were you able to find out the cause of my Pokémon’s fever so easily? I’ve been wondering about that ever since. You didn’t need any kind of medical examination. You just took a good look at her, and that was it. Is that like an innate talent? Or is there more to it than meets the eye?” he asked, leaning forward. Since he was taller than you, he ended up looming over you as he scrutinized you closely, intently, absorbing every inch of your face, as though he was trying to see into your head. “Care to tell me, little miss?”

The smile on your lips froze, along with the rest of your body. At the same time, your heartbeat stumbled before breaking into a gallop like a startled Deerling. He surely was not the first person to confront you with the intimate relationship you had with Pokémon, but no one had ever done it so bluntly before. And what was even worse was that his suspicion was so close to home – too close for comfort.

While suppressing the urge to lean back and away from the Professor, you struggled to keep smiling and not to let it show that his words had thrown you off balance. “You’re exaggerating, Professor,” you said, pulling the Egg case tightly against your chest. “I’m just good with Pokémon. It’s not like I can talk with them or anything.”

“Yeah! She’s just got a great way with Pokémon!” Alex chirped. “Just look at how the Fennekin – What was her name again? Faniola?” After you had nodded, she continued, ever so cheerfully, “Just look at how she went from barking at [Nickname] to snuggling right up to her!”

“That comes as no surprise really since she grew up in a clinic for Pokémon,” Lina added.

Kristie nodded energetically, her long fishtail braid whipping behind her as she did. “If you’re around Pokémon more or less every day for your whole life, you naturally learn how to deal with them and read them like a book.”

“And sometimes she gets a little carried away and actually starts talking to them,” May lifted her shoulders in a dismissive shrug, “but that’s all there is to it.”


	49. ⸢ Chapter 40 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Stop bothering my daughter already, Hyperion,” your dad said. His voice held a firm, commanding tone that didn’t tolerate any contradiction and added a threatening touch to the smile on his lips. “Just because you’re so bent on finding a way to communicate with Pokémon doesn’t mean that you have to read things that aren’t there into other people’s behaviour and pester a young lady like that. Only I as her dad am allowed to do that.”

Professor Hyperion remained towering over you for a long moment or two, scanning your face with an impenetrable expression. Then, he straightened up. “Right.” He brushed his bangs out of his violet eyes. “I’m sorry, little miss. I went a little too far there.”

“It’s fine,” you answered, returning his smile with one of your own. “But you did catch me off guard. Lots of people joke about me being able to talk with Pokémon, but you seemed to imply that I’m actually able to do that.” You laughed and were glad that it didn’t betray the nervous flutter in your chest that now slowly subsided.

“Anyhow, take this Egg as a token of my gratitude for saving my Pokémon’s life back then.” He began to grin crookedly. “And just so you know, I won’t take a no for an answer. I didn’t lug it all the way here for nothing.”

You bowed your head. “Thank you so very much, Professor. I promise that I will take good care of it and make sure that nothing happens to it. But …” Trailing off, you held up the glass container and peeked inside at the Egg coloured in two shades of purple. “Exactly which Pokémon will hatch from it? You never specified that.”

“You don’t know? Well, if that’s the case, then I won’t tell you. It’s going to be a surprise. You’ll find out which Pokémon it is as soon as it hatches.” He gave you a playful wink. “Just wait and see.”

Near-instantly, you opened your mouth to negotiate with the Pokémon Professor and try to argue him into telling you which Pokémon this Egg was from, but then you changed your mind. It really would be way more exciting to wait and see what Pokémon would hatch from this Egg. And whatever Pokémon it would turn out to be, you would happily accept it into your party. You closed your mouth again and smiled instead. “Alright, let it be a surprise then. Fine by me.”

“I’m still not done yet. There’s one last thing I want to give you.” Once more dipping into the leather gym bag, he pulled out something you couldn’t quite see because he immediately hid it between his large hands, but you caught a glimpse of bright red. “Since you’re already going on a journey, I want you to have this as well, little miss.” He held out a red, rectangular device. “You know what this is, don’t you?”

Of course you knew that. Who didn’t? Literally every kid, no matter the region they were living in, dreamed of receiving one of these on the day their Pokémon journey would begin, but only a handful of kids were actually chosen to carry them. These were the lucky few, the “chosen ones,” said to have exceptional potential and skill. And you were going to be one of them …?

“Kaitlyn asked me to give you her kind regards,” the Professor continued, and you willed yourself to turn your gaze from the device in his hands to his face. “She called me yesterday and told me that you are more than worthy to carry one. I wasn’t so sure at first, but now I see what she meant with that. So, take it. It’s yours.”

This time, you couldn’t believe your eyes nor your ears, and you could have sworn your heart skipped a beat at his last words (or maybe at Alex’s loud squeal of delight that pierced your ears). Surprise followed surprise in bewildering succession, so quickly you weren’t able to digest them all at once. Was this really happening right now? You had to pinch yourself – unnoticed by the others – to make sure that this wasn’t all a dream. But this was very much real. The Pokémon Professor really had just offered you a Pokédex.

The more his words sunk in, the giddier you got with excitement. When the full meaning finally came home to you, you were catapulted right onto cloud seven. You were going to have your very own Pokédex! And all that thanks to Katy putting in a good word for you with the Professor! You definitely had to call her later and thank her!

In the heat of the moment, after you had hurriedly put the Egg case on the coffee table, you flung your arms around Professor Hyperion and hugged him, eliciting an “Oof” from him. “Thank you so, so very much, Professor!” you exclaimed, your voice slightly muffled by his lab coat as you pressed your cheek against his chest. You only reached up to his collarbone. “Getting a starter Pokémon and a Pokédex from you … It’s like a dream come true!”

Only when a laugh rumbled in the tall man’s chest right beneath your ear did you realize what exactly you were doing right now. A blush set your cheeks ablaze at once. In a fluster, you tried to pull away, but found that you couldn’t because something strong was pressing against your back and trapping you.

The Professor had put his arms around you as well, returning your (for him surely unexpected) hug. His hearty laughter mixed with the snickers of both your dad and Alex, which were silenced by your mom and May, respectively, quietly scolding them seconds later. “You’re a feisty one, huh? I have the feeling that I picked just the right one to carry a Pokédex and go on a Pokémon journey.” Whilst grinning down at you, he reached up behind you and ruffled your hair.

That was all it took to set off a flood of irritation that coursed through your body and filled you to the brim, pushing every trace of embarrassment you had felt at hugging him aside. “No! Stop!” you cried out. “I swear to Arceus! Not you too, Professor!”


	50. ⸢ Chapter 41 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Mere moments after you had let go of Professor Hyperion again and taken a step back, you were tackled from the side by an elated Alex who was squealing right into your ear. It felt like that one time in P.E. when you had gotten hit by a medicine ball by accident – just a lot worse. Instead of a 10kg ball, a girl half a head taller than you slammed into you.

Needless to say, you didn’t stand a chance. It all happened way too fast. You didn’t even have time to register what was happening, much less try to keep your balance – not that you would have been able to anyway. Next thing you knew, you were lying sprawled out on the floor with your friend on top of you and a dull pain pulsating through your body. You groaned, not only because of the impact, but also because of the bone-crushing hug the brunette had engulfed you in.

May was quick to free you from Alex’s vice-like embrace by force. Afterwards, she pushed her off you without so much as batting an eyelash, which caused the girl – now lying on the floor herself – to switch from going on and on about how happy she was for you to whining and complaining, but May ignored her. She had already pulled you to your feet and against her chest in one fluid motion, locking you in her arms.

Before you knew it, you were in the center of a giant group hug formed by your best friends (including Alex, who had calmed down and jumped to her feet in the blink of an eye to be part of the hug), your parents, and your Pokémon. They all looked the epitome of the term “proud parents,” even the five Pokémon. Although the latter didn’t really know what was going on, they could easily tell that it was something important to you, something that made you happy. That, and they didn’t want to miss out on a single opportunity to hug you, especially not Raleia.

A little while later, the Pokémon Professor took his leave of you, committing the female Fox Pokémon, the mysterious Egg, and the Pokédex to your charge. Though he had to explain how to use the latter to you first before he left. It was the Hoenn version since Virno and Hoenn were linked by strong economic ties – there was a branch office of the well-known Devon Corp. in Vela City, Virno’s largest city after the capital itself.

Furthermore, the two of you exchanged numbers, adding each other to the contact list on your respective PokéNav Plus. Professor Hyperion wanted you to call him every once in a while and keep him up-to-date with the progress of both your Pokémon journey and the completion of your Pokédex. This earned you a suggestive eyebrow wiggle from Alex while the Professor wasn’t looking, to which you responded with an irritated upward roll of your eyes.

As soon as Professor Hyperion was gone, you called Katy to profusely thank her for recommending you as a holder of a Pokédex to him. During her own journey, she’d met him several times and befriended him (sort of, at least), which was why he had considered her suggestion. You heard her mumbling something about him saying to her, “That’d mean less walking for me and more staying in my lab,” or something along those lines.

Now the time had come for you to finally start your journey, and you were overcome with nervous anticipation that spread to your Pokémon and made them stick to your heels while you were making the last preparations. You couldn’t stop yourself from checking your [favourite colour] backpack again and again to make sure that you really had everything sorted for the big trip.

A large stainless steel water bottle and several non-perishable snacks? Check. A change of clothes, including a rain poncho and the headband with Ho-Oh’s feather? Check. A tent and a sleeping bag (just to be on the safe side)? Check. Poké Balls? Check. A first aid kit? Check. A toiletry bag? Check. A flashlight, along with batteries? Check. Two pouches, one with the rest of your money and the other with a variety of herbs for medicine? Yep, seemed like you had everything you needed.

Afterwards, you stowed the gifts you had gotten – namely the Pokéblock Kit and the Pokémon Refresh Kit – in your backpack. Patting down the pockets of your jeans and jacket, you nodded, satisfied, when you felt your wallet, your PokéNav Plus, and the Pokédex. You felt more at ease carrying them close to your body rather than somewhere in your backpack where they could be easily stolen without you noticing.

Amra had offered to carry the Egg case for you, which you had happily accepted. You already had to carry a fair share of things in your backpack and were glad about every weight you were relieved of. While she had been at it, the Hearing Pokémon had put her stethoscope-like feelers against the glass container to inspect the Egg inside, determining that it would still take a very long time to hatch. Until then, you would look after it and keep it safe.

After saying goodbye to your parents and your four friends – with lots of hugging, a couple of tears here and there, and repeatedly promising to call them whenever possible –, you shouldered your backpack and made for the bay in the north of the isle, accompanied by your five Pokémon.

The very first hurdle of your Pokémon journey would be to find a way across the stretch of water and onto the mainland. You couldn’t just swim over there – you had luggage to carry, and not to mention the fact that it was quite a stretch from Hydrus Island to Caelum City. Instead, you were hoping that you would come across a fisherman or another Water-type Pokémon Trainer who would be willing to take you to the seaport, either in their boat or on one of their Pokémon. And if that didn’t work, then you would ask a kind Pokémon for help.


	51. ⸢ Chapter 42 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The bay was only a stone’s throw from your home – a mere five-minute walk, if not less – and adjoined Hydrus Village. You came here from time to time, either on your own or with your friends, to have a swim in the cool water, collect pretty shells, observe animals and Water-type Pokémon both on the beach and in the water, or sunbathe – so long as the weather was fine, of course.

Although the bay was fairly small (and more of an inlet, really), there always were a couple of people around, most of them being fishermen. Since Hydrus Island didn’t have a direct connection to the mainland like Hydra Island with a ferry going back and forth between Hydra Town and Spica City every thirty minutes, the isle’s inhabitants either worked on the neighbouring island or earned their living by catching fish here at this inlet. Some of them set up their fishing rod on the pier while others sailed out onto the open sea in their boats or on the backs of their Pokémon.

Sometimes, you came across a handful of visitors from the mainland and even the occasional tourist who had heard about this insider’s tip. The beauty of this bay was not to be sneezed at, after all. The sand was of a lovely pale cream colour and felt pleasantly smooth to the touch, and the beach itself was strewn with boulders. Some of them were perfect for lying on to bask in the sun.

But today, you weren’t here to relax, no. You were here to get a lift to Caelum City from either a person or a Pokémon. Either way, it would be necessary for your Pokémon to go into their Poké Balls to save space. A teenage girl with a bulky backpack and five Pokémon in tow would barely fit into a fisher boat and definitely not onto a Pokémon’s back all at once.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have much luck asking around for a ride. None of the fishermen sitting on folding chairs on the pier had a Pokémon big enough to carry either of you. They also told you that the ones with boats or rideable Pokémon were already out fishing and wouldn’t come back until evening, but you didn’t want to wait that long. There were no swimmers or other Water-type Trainers in sight either, just a few tourists you didn’t want to trouble with your request. It seemed like you had to turn to a Pokémon for help.

Hence, after setting down your backpack, you carefully lifted your five Pokémon, one after the other, onto a slanting boulder that jutted out over the water’s edge. This overhanging ledge was about two feet above your head, while the other end only went up to your navel. Then, you climbed the large rock yourself and hauled your backpack up afterwards as well. Standing on the ledge and shielding your eyes against the midday sun, you looked around the inlet, searching for a suitable Pokémon.

What you saw were numerous Pokémon, but none that looked like they could carry you to Caelum City. A school of Magikarp was splashing about in the shallows beneath the pier, creating small waves that sparkled like countless of jewels in the sunlight, so bright you had to squint your eyes. Scattered above the beach were Krabby burrowed in the sand, some only visible due to their pincers sticking out. While a flock of Wingull was resting on a rock protruding from the salty water, their long wings folded, others of their kind glided across the clear blue sky. Tentacool were idling through the water, absorbing sunlight.

In short: Nothing of interest. Not a single Pokémon you could ride on one way or another without getting your clothes and your backpack wet. But you had expected as much and had prepared yourself for this highly probable case. Finding a ride to Caelum City right off the bat would have been too good to be true anyways.

With a small sigh, you lowered your hand again. There was nothing else you could do now but to wait for either a Pokémon capable of carrying you on its back, a Trainer with such a Pokémon, or a fisherman with a boat to show up at this inlet, which was surely bound to happen sooner or later. At least you hoped so … You didn’t want to think about what you would have to do if you didn’t find a way to get to the mainland at all.

Rummaging your backpack for the Pokémon Refresh Kit, you pulled it out and beckoned Faniola to come over to you. She had brawled with a Krabby that had repeatedly tried to pinch your boot-clad feet with its pincers because you had accidentally stepped on it earlier. Her attempts at scratching the infuriated River Crab Pokémon hadn’t had much effect on its strong shell, and the small orange sparks she had spat at her opponent had been extinguished by its Bubble.

Due to the type disadvantage, your Fox Pokémon would have almost lost to the Water-type Pokémon – if it hadn’t been for her tearing one of the Krabby’s pincers off with her claws, incapacitating the Pokémon. Now she was soaked to the bone, her fur was rumpled, and shallows cuts covered her entire body. Despite all this, she was visibly pleased with herself and her (close) victory over the Krabby.

After you had sat down with your legs crossed near the edge of the boulder’s ledge and spread the towel from the Pokémon Refresh Kit over your lap, you patted your thigh. “C’mon, let’s clean you up, cutie pie,” you said as you motioned Faniola to jump on your lap, and she complied. As soon as you began to gently rub her dry with the towel, she started purring with a look of utter contentment on her face whilst chewing on a twig she had picked up a couple of minutes ago.

In the meantime, Raleia flopped down onto her back next to you, exhaling a theatrically heavy sigh, and looked up into the sky with her tiny hands folded beneath her sky-blue head. “What a bummer!” she lamented. “Now we have to sit around and wait for Arceus knows how long!”

“D-Don’t be so i-impatient, sister. W-We’ve only j-just sat down,” Rineis said, but his sister either was too busy complaining to notice the slight reproof in his voice, or she simply chose to ignore it.

Amra took a seat next to the shiny Ralts siblings with a mellow smile painted on her face, cradling the Egg case in her arms. She hadn’t let go of it ever since you had entrusted it to her. “I’m sure we’ll find someone who is willing to bring us to Caelum City soon. We just have to be a little patient.”

“Do you need a ride across the water?” a disembodied, male voice suddenly asked – from right beneath you …?


	52. ⸉ Intermission ⸊

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Any news?”

Heaving a long sigh of relief, Blanche stretched out his tired legs and leaned back on the bench with closed eyes. Just sitting and doing nothing for once was absolute bliss. His sore feet were grateful to him for this more than welcome (and long overdue) break after all this running around. Ever since he had left the café in Lacerta City yesterday, he had been doing nothing but roaming Virno’s coast and the two islands, either by foot or on the back of his Aurorus when he was too exhausted to continue.

“No, nothing,” Spark answered Candela’s question in the meantime, shaking his head. He didn't notice that his Zebstrika was chewing on a tuft of his hair. He was a bit windswept, his blond locks rather unkempt and his black jacket wrinkled, after riding horseback for hours on end, but he looked full of energy as ever.

At this, a scowl contorted Candela’s features. “Damn it!” she spat. “I couldn’t find The Destined One either! And neither did they show themselves anywhere! Where did they all go?!” She scraped a hand through her brown tresses, but a few unruly strands of hair fell back across her forehead, and she swatted at them as she would at an annoying mosquito.

Spark hummed pensively. “Right, now that you mention it, they were nowhere to be seen.” A sudden thought struck him, shock registered on his face, and his cobalt eyes went as wide as saucers. “Don’t tell me – Did they find The Destined One before us?”

Blanche sat up. “Don’t worry, I know for a fact that they didn’t,” he said to prevent his friends from losing their heads and indulging in wild speculations about the worst-case scenario. “They are still searching, just like we are. It appears that most of them were combing the two islands for The Destined One. They have all left now, but I managed to eavesdrop on a pair of them without being noticed.”

“And what did you find out? Spit it out!” Candela ordered. As she stared at him, impatiently waiting for him to say more, her fiery, golden brown eyes bore into him even through the screen of his PokéNav Plus.

After clearing his throat, Blanche gave the two of them a brief summary of what he had heard two grunts talk about. “The Destined One purportedly had an encounter with Ho-Oh, which is why they are currently searching for someone who claims to have seen the Rainbow Pokémon and/or is in possession of one of its feathers.”

“I bet that’s connected to that rainbow that appeared out of nowhere above Hydra Island two days ago!” Spark chipped in.

With a thoughtful expression, Candela nodded. “I saw that too. Come to think of it, it was around the same time they came crawling out of the woodwork like ants whose nest had been poked with a stick,” she mused. “Did you find out more?”

“Sadly, that was it,” Blanche replied, and both his friends pulled a disappointed face. “But they all left empty-handed. It seems like they were ordered back by their leader. That means that The Destined One must have escape them and now is somewhere on the mainland, coming from either of the two islands. I propose we focus on the villages, towns, and cities along the coast. It is possible that The Destined One will show up in your respective search area.”

“All we have to do is keep our eyes peeled for a person who either claims they saw Ho-Oh, has one of its rainbow-coloured feathers, or keeps their distance from them. Or maybe even all of that,” Candela concluded.

“Roger that!” The view of the PokéNav Plus’s camera became blurry when Spark swung himself onto his Zebstrika’s back again, the Thunderbolt Pokémon neighing and audibly pawing the ground. “We don’t know what they look like, but neither do they! We’re gonna find them for sure! Spark out!”

“Spark, wait!” Candela called out – in vain.

The last thing Blanche saw before his friend abruptly ended the three-way video call was the blond man flashing a broad grin while putting two fingers to his forehead in a mock salute which turned into a quick wave afterwards. Then, his part of the screen went black, and Candela’s frowning face took up the whole screen of Blanche’s PokéNav Plus.

“That’s typical of Spark, unable to sit still for five minutes.” Shaking her head, she sighed. “Anyways, the Prof contacted me earlier. He said that a bunch of them left their headquarters and split up, going in three different directions. One of their destinations was the Numen Shrine in Carina Village. He doesn’t know where the two other groups went, but he overheard the one he shadowed talking about The Destined One being bound to show up at the Shrine sooner or later. I’m going to hold the fort there since it’s in my area.”

“The Numen Shrine? What are they doing there? I wonder …” Blanche mumbled, more to himself than to Candela. He let out a hum as he sat pondering. But he quickly shook himself out of his thoughts again and nodded to his companion. “Alright. Be careful, and call me as soon as you find out more. At least we have a new lead now.”

Candela mimicked Spark’s brisk salute, smirking. “Will do.”

“Well then,” Blanche got to his feet and shook out his legs, “I’m going to set out for Caelum City without delay. Good luck.” With that, he hung up and swiftly pocketed his PokéNav Plus, taking a Poké Ball from his belt clip. “We can only hope luck is on our side and we will find The Destined One before them,” he murmured as he called forth his Swanna.

Unbeknownst to him, the very person he was currently looking for was right here on this island with him, embarking on her Pokémon journey – entirely oblivious to the three persons desperately searching for her, trying to protect her.

* * *

_We will protect you,_

_Destined One._

_You can count on us._


	53. ⸢ Chapter 44 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“So, you’re [Name]? You certainly are one of a kind,” the large dual-type Pokémon smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. It would be my pleasure to carry you to your destination. I was just taking a rest here anyways.”

“Thank you very much! And it’s nice to meet you too,” you said as a radiant smile spread across your face. Luck really was with you! You hadn’t even had to wait for a few hours like you had originally expected to. “Would you please bring us to Caelum City? That’s the seaport right across the stretch of water from this island. You can’t miss it!”

“You mean the city at the tip of the peninsula?” he asked, and you nodded in confirmation. “Alright. Are you ready to depart?”

“As ready as we’ll ever be! Let’s go!”

Following Raleia’s exclamation, Faniola abruptly jumped to her feet. Then, she leapt out of the space between your crossed legs even though you weren’t finished towelling her dry yet. To remove the lingering wetness from her pale fur, she shook herself vigorously, sending a shower of fine, cold spray over everyone in the vicinity.

Equally eager to get going, both Pokémon neared the edge of the boulder’s ledge and made a move to jump off it right onto the Lapras’s back. But they stopped in their tracks the moment you called their names. Simultaneously turning their head in your direction, both of them gave you a confused look – though there was a spark of impatience in the Fox Pokémon’s eyes as well.

“Hang on just a minute, cuties. I think it would be better if you all went into your Poké Balls while we're crossing the water.” You saw a frown appear on the female Ralts sibling’s face, and she opened her mouth (most likely to object), but before she could do so, you quickly continued talking, “I wouldn’t want any of you to fall into the water by accident. And I’m already heavy enough as I am with my backpack. I promise I’ll let you out of your Poké Balls again as soon as we’re in Caelum City.”

As soon as you had finished talking, she tried to speak up once more, apparently still not satisfied with your arguments. “But …” was all that had left her mouth when she was gently interrupted by Amra.

“I agree with [Name].” These four words were enough to cause the crease between Raleia’s brows to deepen. “The Lapras is already doing us a great favour by giving us a free lift, so we really shouldn’t be too much of a burden to him.” Alas, her appeasing tone left no impression on the disgruntled Feeling Pokémon.

Now Phiala joined in as well. “I think so too. I’m not even sure if we would all fit on his back, to be honest …” But she had as much luck as Amra and you in persuading Raleia – namely none – and was silenced (and intimidated) by a single glare from her.

“J-Just think of i-it this way, s-sister,” Rineis quietly piped up. Was that … a hint of annoyance you heard in his voice? “If we a-all go i-into our P-Poké Balls, then t-the Lapras won’t h-have to carry a-as much weight a-and will be able t-to swim f-faster, and this w-way, we’ll b-be in Caelum C-City sooner.”

“C’mon, the longer you balk, the more time we’re wasting!” Faniola urged. She was prancing, restlessly shifting from one paw to the other as if she was just waiting for the cue to finally set off. “We could’ve already left if it weren’t for you making such a fuss!”

Raleia narrowed her orange eyes at her, features now marred by an angry scowl her frown had turned into. It was a rather bizarre sight, seeing as Ralts were commonly described as being timid creatures who took flight once they sensed hostility in another being. “Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?”

You frowned. You had expected these two to clash sooner or later, but rather later than sooner. Well, it had been inevitable either way, and it surely wasn’t going to be the first and only time that this would happen. They were just too alike, what with them both being quick-tempered. But while the Ralts was more of the boisterous type in an outgoing kind of way, the Fennekin seemed to be an out-and-out hothead with her pugnacious nature.

You stopped fiddling with the Pokémon Refresh Kit, trying to neatly put it back into your backpack, to fend off the quarrel that was about to ensue between your impetuous Pokémon. Straightening up, you planted your hands firmly on your hips. “Both of you, stop this instant.” You did your best to copy the reproachful, yet mild glare your mom had used to give you when you had gotten into mischief as a kid.

Immediately, Raleia ducked her head at your stern tone of voice and slunk away from the Fox Pokémon, whereas Faniola defied you, staring at you with a challenging flicker in her eyes. But after brief reflection, she thought better of it and followed the Ralts’s example, averting her gaze.

“Listen, young ladies,” you began, using almost the exact same words your mom always used to start her lectures with. Every time you heard those words and saw that disapproving frown, you knew you were in trouble – and it seemed like the two Pokémon did too. “We’re all part of the same team, like a little family. The occasional squabbling because of some minor disagreement is unavoidable and completely fine, but I won’t tolerate any of you speaking ill of and picking full-blown fights with other team members. Faniola, I know you’ve known me only for a few hours now, but you chose to join my Pokémon party, so I expect you to behave. The same goes to you too, Raleia. Alright?”

Both of them avoided meeting your eyes, writhing under your gaze. They looked decidedly uncomfortable, and you felt bad for rebuking them like this, but you’d really had to put your foot down and make the dos and don’ts clear to them before the worst would come to the worst. After all, it was essential for a Trainer and their Pokémon to trust each other, and the Pokémon should be on good terms with each other as well.


	54. ⸢ Chapter 43 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

You heard water splashing and something move beneath the rock overhang your Pokémon and you were sitting on right now. Leaning forward to peer over the ledge, you came face-to-face with a blue head with a short horn in the middle and curled ears emerging from below until it was at eye level with you.

Your jaw dropped like a rock, and you just stared at the male Transport Pokémon. You had looked everywhere for a ride, just not under your very nose – literally. With that blue-, cream-, and grey-coloured body of his, it wasn’t surprising that you hadn’t spotted him in the shade of the boulder. He had probably been resting there until the six of you had shown up.

Now that you thought about it, you remembered reading an article in the newspaper yesterday about a pod of Lapras being sighted off Virno’s coast. But never in your wildest dreams had you expected to encounter one of these rare Pokémon yourself. Was fortune smiling upon you after all? Lapras were well-known to enjoy ferrying people, so maybe this one would agree to carry you to Caelum City!

A smile rose on your lips. You started to speak, but were immediately interrupted by Raleia who exclaimed, “Yeah! We’ve been looking everywhere for someone who’s in the mood to bring our Trainer and us to the mainland!” She had got over her surprise much faster than you and already jumped to her feet again.

Nodding, you beamed at the dual-type Pokémon. “Indeed, what a perfect time for you to show up! Would you be so kind as to give us a lift? Please?” Just then, you felt something damp and cold push against your hand with just a bit too much force, and you looked down. Upon seeing Faniola frowning, you noticed that you had stopped towelling her because you had been distracted by the Lapras suddenly appearing. With a light laugh, you resumed your work.

In response to your question, the Lapras nodded, smiling, his long neck bobbing slightly. He didn’t seem surprised by you talking to him – after all, his kind was innately able to understand human speech. “Of course.” It seemed to take him a moment to realize that you had responded to what Raleia had said. Then, his black eyes widened into an incredulous stare. “Wait a minute – You can understand us, human?!”

You answered silently with a nod. You were currently pressing your lips together to prevent them from twisting into an amused grin and to choke back a snicker at the same time. But in spite of your efforts, the corners of your mouth still curled up. His expression was just priceless.

“Wow! I didn’t know there were humans who can talk with Pokémon. During all my travels, I’ve never met someone like you before. How peculiar.” Tilting his head, he eyed you with unconcealed curiosity in his eyes.

Suddenly, Faniola shot to her feet, her fluffy tail bristled, pointed teeth bared, and orange eyes glaring at the Transport Pokémon. Her sudden and unexpectedly fierce reaction startled all of you. She had gone from deeply relaxed to blazing mad within a split second. Professor Hyperion hadn’t exaggerated when he had told you that the Fennekin had “quite the temper.” “Hey, who’re you calling peculiar?!” she bellowed. “And don’t look at her like she’s some kind of mutated Berry!”

You tut-tutted. “Don’t get so worked up, Faniola,” you reproached her. “There’s no reason for you to shout at him like that. He didn’t insult me. And you pretty much looked at me the same when you realized you could understand me.”

A look of realization crossed the Fox Pokémon’s face, but she didn’t seem to like it, much like Raleia when you had pointed out that her aggressive behaviour towards the Poochyena back in Lucus Grove had been unjustified. Faniola lowered her head, her ears laid back flat, and remained silent, scowling indignantly.

“And now apologize, will you?”

She seemed unwilling to comply with your request at first, gnashing and grinding her teeth. But after another stern look from you, she finally muttered an apology, albeit a half-hearted one, and she only glanced at the Lapras. “Yes … Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” the dual-type Pokémon replied. There was a glimmer of amusement in his gentle eyes as he smiled down at Faniola who avoided both of your gazes.

Your face softened into a smile of your own, and you gave the Fennekin a good scratch behind her ears as a reward. “See? That wasn’t so hard, was it?” you asked, earning a reluctant headshake from her. “Please do try not to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation from now on, alright, cutie?”

With a huff, she settled down in your lap again, refusing to look at you in protest and even turning her head away from you, but that only made you snicker. She wasn’t really miffed at you – at least not enough to leave the comfort of your lap and to not let you pet her anymore. After some seconds of grumbling, she finally responded, “I promise I’ll try my best.”

Although you would have wished for her to at least look you in the eyes to make sure that she was serious about this promise, you were satisfied with her answer because she sounded sincere. “Thank you.” Then, you continued rubbing her dry with the towel.

Having followed the conversation between the Fire-type Pokémon and you, the Lapras now turned to you. “I have to apologize as well, though. I’m sorry if I should have offended you, human.” He bowed his head in an apologetic manner. “I didn’t mean it.”

You dismissed his apology with a wave of the hand, grinning. “Don’t worry.”

“I bet you meant ‘peculiar’ as in ‘unique,’ didn’t you?” Raleia asked the Transport Pokémon. “Because that’s what [Name] is! She’s one of a kind!” Her passionate declaration was accompanied by Phiala nodding her head energetically, as if she couldn’t agree more.

This unreserved display of their affection towards you put a smile on everyone’s face, even the Lapras’s. Only then did the Poochyena seem to realize what she was doing, her eyes growing wide as she froze. As though a switch had been flipped inside her, she reverted to her shy behaviour, lowering her eyes instantly. She flinched when you started petting her to calm her, and began to squirm with embarrassment, but soon eased into your touch.


	55. ⸢ Chapter 45 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Yes, ma’am …”

“Understood.”

Raleia and Faniola answered at the same time, their shoulders slumped forward, head hung low, and eyes downcast like two kicked puppies. They added in unison, “I’m sorry.” It seemed to be an apology to both each other and to you. Though they refused to look at each other. Only when you continued to stare at them in an expectant manner, arms still akimbo, did they (very reluctantly) exchange penitent looks.

The dour expression you had put on like a mask in order to get your point across crumbled. It gave way to a radiant smile that quickly worked its way across your face and into your eyes. “Glad to hear that.” You patted both their heads affectionately, which caused them to glance up at you and utter a sigh of relief once they saw you smiling.

“You were a little scary when you hauled us over the coals like that,” Raleia admitted and gave a nervous laugh, scratching her cheek.

A shudder passed through the Fennekin’s body, and she shook herself once more. The last few drops of water she hadn’t got rid of the first time now came off her fur after all and splattered everyone nearby – not that she cared. “You can say that again.”

Upon hearing this, you grimaced. You had just zipped up the main compartment of your backpack after stuffing the rectangular box into it. “Oh no, really? I’m sorry,” you apologized. “Did I go too harsh on you?” You looked up, only to see the four other Pokémon staring back at you in awe while you received no reply from either Raleia or Faniola. “What? I went overboard, didn’t I?”

Amra was the first to find her voice again. “Don’t worry, you didn’t. I think it was just right,” she reassured you, smiling. “Not too harsh, but firm enough to show them that you were being completely serious.”

“They n-needed that. L-Look, it s-seems like they’re g-getting along n-now.” Rineis pointed to the Feeling Pokémon and the Fox Pokémon standing next to each other. Indeed, they were wrapped up in an animated conversation – about how cool you had been while lecturing them.

No sooner had the shiny, male Ralts drawn everyone’s attention to the two Pokémon than Phiala ran over to them. Now, all three of them were effusing about you and not in the least bothered by the fact that you were sitting just about a meter away, not even the usually so insecure Poochyena. They were like your own little fan club.

You huffed in amused confusion and shook your head, one corner of your mouth tugged upwards into a lopsided grin. Clapping your hands to get your five Pokémon’s attention, you announced, “Well then, we’ve got somewhere to go. Let’s hit the road!”

“Finally!” Raleia and Faniola exclaimed as if with one voice.

You took a handful of Poké Balls from an outer pocket of your backpack. Because your Pokémon had never been in their assigned Poké Balls before, you couldn’t just recall them. In fact, you had to catch them first. While a critical capture occurred when you threw a Poké Ball at the siblings, Phiala, and Amra, Faniola almost broke free from her Poké Ball due to her impatient fidgeting, the two-coloured ball shaking three times before it finally clicked shut.

Each time one of the Pokémon was sealed in the respective Poké Ball, a muffled beep was emitted from the Pokédex in the inside pocket of your jacket as it updated the entries for the five Pokémon you had already scanned back home to practice operating the device. While you were at it, you also scanned the Lapras – after you had asked his permission, of course.

Now that your Pokémon were in their Poké Balls (which you had stored in a zip pocket of your jacket so that you wouldn’t accidentally lose them), it had become oddly calm and quiet. You had gotten used to them being around you all the time and livening things up – particularly Raleia. But now the only sounds were that of Wingull and normal seagulls squawking in the distance, accompanied by the waves gently rolling onto the beach and flowing back out to sea. This calm wasn’t as relaxing as you had expected it to be. To tell the truth, you even felt a touch lonely …

Lowering your backpack from the boulder onto the sand below, you hopped off the rock at its lowest point afterwards, holding the Egg case, and strapped the backpack onto your back. You then proceeded to clamber onto the Transport Pokémon’s back. He had pulled himself onto the sandy shore, behind the line that had been drawn across the sand where the last wave ended, to make things easier for you since you didn’t have to carry just the backpack now, but also the Egg case. The blunt knobs covering the grey shell on his back assisted you in mounting. They also helped you maintain your seat, providing a secure hand- and foothold.

The Lapras turned his neck to look at you. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, watching you as you fidgeted and shifted around to find a comfortable sitting position on his back. After all, you would have to spend – according to his rough guess – the next thirty minutes sitting like that. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you won’t fall off my back.”

After jiggling about one last time to make sure that you really were sitting comfortably (and securely), you clasped one of the larger knobs in front of you with one hand and hugged the glass container to your chest with the other arm. “Let’s go.”

At that moment, just as the Lapras started crawling back into the water with his four flippers, you heard someone yell, “Hey, you! You over there! The girl on the Lapras’s back! Yeah, you! Wait a minute!”


	56. ⸢ Chapter 46 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

A boy and a girl around your age were running across the beach. They came from the village and made a beeline for you. The moment you made eye contact with the black-haired boy, he stopped waving his arms about frantically and sped up, leaving who you assumed was his friend behind.

You were unsure as to what they could want from you – considering you hadn’t seen them before –, but it seemed to be quite the urgent matter. Hence, you asked the Lapras to stop and wait up for them. Maybe they were looking for a ride as well? Assuming they were either from the mainland or tourists, it was more than probable that they had been waiting for an opportunity to get to the mainland.

Huffing and puffing, the boy stopped in front of the Transport Pokémon and you and immediately bent over, placing his hands on his knees as he recovered his breath. Nonetheless, he asked, “Are you … heading for … Caelum City?”

“Yeah, I was just about to leave,” you answered. “Do your friend and you want to come along?”

One last gulp of air, and he straightened up, wiping the sweat from his brow and then nodding eagerly. “I was hoping you’d say that! Would you please take us with you?” Awaiting your answer with bated breath and a hopeful shimmer in his blue-grey eyes, he looked back and forth between the Lapras and you.

You petted the Pokémon’s neck. “What do you say?” you asked him. Since he was the one who would have to carry the weight of three teenagers and a cram-full backpack, it was entirely up to him whether to let the two join you on his back.

“I’m sure I’ll manage,” he answered after pondering over your question for a few moments and gave a nod to communicate his affirmative reply to the boy, which caused a bright smile to erupt on his tanned face.

“Great! Thanks a bunch, you two! I’m Kai Sun, and that over there,” Kai gestured to the girl who was about to catch up with him, her bobbed black hair and the flower-shaped tip of her red cap bouncing up and down as she jogged, “is my best friend Selene Moon. We’re both from Alola.”

Selene gave a small wave of the hand in greeting which you returned with a friendly smile. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too. I’m [First name] [Last name],” you said, introducing yourself whilst exchanging handshakes with Kai and Selene. “Your names sound somehow familiar …” You trailed off, staring at the teenagers with your eyes narrowed in thought.

“That’s because we’re the Pokémon Champions of Alola!” Kai flashed you a toothy grin. “I bet you read about us in the newspaper a couple of years ago.”

“Ah, that’s right! Now that you mention it, the founding of Alola’s very first Pokémon League and your victory over the Elite Four shortly afterwards made the headlines in every news broadcast for, like, a week straight.” You let out a pensive hum. “That was about five years ago now, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly,” Selene chipped in and, after a short pause, added, “To be completely precise, he was the first Champion while I’m the current one. There can only be one League Champ at a time.”

Kai shrugged in an indifferent manner. “Yeah, whatever. I’m not interested in that position anyways. All you do is sit around in the League building, waiting for challengers to show up. That’s a total waste of time. I got better things to do than that!”

Rolling her graphite-coloured eyes, Selene retorted, “Yeah, I know, I know. You’re always on the go.”

“Well, it’s a real honour either way. I guess you’re here because of the PWT then, right?” you asked. “Every Pokémon Trainer in the world was called upon to participate, and the Champion and Elite Four of every region were invited too.”

“Yeah! I’m going to beat everyone and rake in the prize money!” Kai announced, sounding (and looking) like he had complete confidence in his Pokémon, their strength, and his own skills. Well, he didn’t bear the title of “Alola’s first Champion” for no reason. “That’s the only reason why I came all the way here, really.”

When she saw the confused look on your face, Selene explained, “He’s trying to collect a hundred million Pokédollars, but no one knows why. He won’t tell anyone. Just ignore him.” And with that, she changed the topic. “So, you and your Lapras are going to give us a lift, right?”

You nodded, smiling. “He’s not my Pokémon, though,” you pointed out. “He just approached me while I was looking for a way across the water, and seemed to be willing to let me ride on his back.”

The dual-type Pokémon turned his head to look at you, puzzled, until the penny seemed to drop. “Oh, I get it. You keep your ability a secret, don’t you? I see. Alright.”

“Then you’ve been a lot luckier than us.” An annoyed sigh left Selene’s lips. “We’ve already come here twice since this morning, but we’ve had no success in finding someone who would give us a ride. A friend of ours is waiting for us in Caelum City, you see. It’s about time we finally meet up with him.”

“Well, in that case, let’s not waste any more time, shall we? All aboard!” By patting on the grey shell behind you, you signalled the two Pokémon Trainers from Alola to join you.

Kai and Selene instantly complied with your invitation, climbing onto the Lapras’s back after you had made room for them by moving to the front of the Pokémon’s shell. Though the three of you still had to sit rather close together to make it work, with Kai clinging to your backpack, Selene holding onto her friend, and you clutching one of the blunt knobs.

“Ready? Hold on tight! Let’s go to Caelum City!” the Lapras called out as he pushed himself into the water where a wave took hold of him, pulling him away from the shore and further into the open sea.


	57. ⸉ Intermission ⸊

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

Something caught his eye as he flew over a vast expanse of dense, unbroken, virgin forest on the back of his companion. This blanket of treetops stretched as far as the eye could see. He had almost missed the large structure in a clearing amidst the innumerable trees for it was mostly reclaimed by nature and hidden beneath the canopy of leaves.

His curiosity sparked, he asked the Deep Black Pokémon to stop and hover above this curious structure at a great height so he could have a clear view of it in its entirety – and what he saw made him do a double take.

A tower was flanked by two arched walls that were connected to it by a straight wall on either end, resembling a circle split in half and a cross without an intersection. Everything was made of stone. Weeds and grass had taken root in the cracks between the stones near the ground. Thick ivy had spread from nearby trees to the structure, its leaved tendrils crawling across the walls that were already covered in moss for the most part. A few trees had taken up the space between the tower and the two arches.

That distinctive shape … He had seen it oh so many times in the old, heavy tomes he had pored over back “home.” It was unmistakable. This structure was shaped like the cross-like wheel The Original One sported around its abdomen, and this couldn’t possibly be a mere coincidence. Could it be …? Was this its lair in the earthly realm?

Whereas the walls seemed to serve no purpose other than being purely ornamental to complete The Original One’s emblem, the tower in the middle captured his attention. It was inverted. Like the tip of an iceberg, it only reached the height of around four meters above the surface while, at the same time, winding its way into the ground, lined with stairs. At its very bottom, there was a jagged crack that had split the grassy earth.

Landing proved to be impossible. There was no glade big enough for his companion to land on nearby. But through the Deep Black Pokémon’s anti-gravity field emitted from its large, round, conical tail, it was able to perch on top of one of the ivy-clad walls without it collapsing beneath its massive weight.

After he had nimbly jumped off the Pokémon’s back, causing some of the weathered stones to crumble slightly, he climbed down the wall, using a robust ivy vine that clung to it as a makeshift rope. He could make out a beaten path beneath his boot-clad feet. It ended at this temple of sorts, but had been long forgotten. Now, it was swallowed up by grass and buried beneath fallen leaves, leaving only patches of it visible as it disappeared into the woods.

An archway granted access to the circular staircase inside the tower. Stone chips and dry leaves crunched beneath the rubber soles of his boots as he entered. The descend turned out to be rather difficult. He had to watch his step the entire time since most of the steps were slippery, either due to rain, moss, or wet, rotten leaves.

Even inside the tower, the stones had been exposed to the inclemency of the elements for decades, if not centuries, as well. Of course, nature had found its way in here too, embellishing the inner wall of the inverted tower in moss and ivy vines. Tenacious weeds had sprouted through cracks here and there. Oddly enough, they were gradually replaced by tufts of lush grass and wild flowers the closer he got to the bottom.

Much to his surprise, he found out that the bottom of the tower was, in fact, not covered by earth like he had initially assumed, but consisted entirely of firm rock out of which myriads of blades of grass and flowers had sprung up without rhyme or reason. This was not nature’s doing. Something even more powerful than that was at work here.

The fissure was positioned in the exact middle of this circular meadow, splitting it almost in half. It was of a pace’s width at the most, and he could easily step over it to get to the other side of the bottom floor because something over there had attracted his attention.

Three richly ornamented niches held an altarpiece depicting The Original One, a replica of said Pokémon’s emblem made of gold and measuring half a meter in diameter, and a large stone tablet with a long text engraved on it, respectively. They all were caked in mud and covered by a thick layer of dust. In order to expose what lay beneath, he had to scrape this coating of grime off first. Not even moss had spared these sacred objects. Remnants of white wax pooled around the burnt candles in every niche. Clearly, this shrine had been long abandoned, just like this whole temple building.

The stone tablet was completely overgrown and blended seamlessly into the moss on the niche’s wall, which was why he had failed to see it the first time. He had the feeling that the prophecy he had read about was written on there. After removing the moss, he wiped off the remaining dirt, only to find that the letters carved into the stone surface were too worn to read.

After that, he turned his attention back to the long crack in the ground. Kneeling, he peered through, careful not to topple. The sight that presented itself to him took his breath away. A couple of meters beneath him, a large, white Pokémon with equine features lay on a grass carpet in what seemed to be a cave or chamber swallowed by darkness. One look at the golden, cross-like wheel with four jewels sparkling in the sunlight dispelled any doubt he might have felt.

Now that he knew where The Original One was, lost in deep slumber, all that was left for him to do was to find The Destined One. He didn’t know what they looked like, but he trusted to luck.

* * *

_I will find you,_

_Destined One._

_Wherever you are._


	58. ⸢ Chapter 47 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

The traversal of the stretch of water ended up taking a little longer than thirty minutes due to the increased weight the Transport Pokémon had to carry. At least you weren’t held up by hostile wild Pokémon lurking beneath the water’s surface because the Lapras was moving too slow to provoke them.

Neither of you minded that you spent more than half an hour on the dual-type Pokémon’s back – you didn’t even notice. You were far too absorbed in the conversation you were having with Kai and Selene, making fast friends with them. They told you lots of exciting anecdotes and funny stories about their own Pokémon journey back in Alola and were pleased to hear that you had just begun your own journey.

You also found out that Selene, too, was a pharmacist and proficient with making several types of medicine, just like you. While you specialized in plants and herbs of all kinds, she was very knowledgeable about various poisons, but you still exchanged a couple of very simple healing techniques you could easily apply.

Time just seemed to fly by as the three of you chatted and laughed and bonded. Before you knew it, you had arrived in Caelum City. A broad sweep of beach stretched along the curved shoreline to the left of the seaport, starting at the outskirts of the city and disappearing beyond the horizon. It would follow the semicircle that projected into the land like a ginormous bay, past three seaside towns and villages, and eventually end in Spica City at the other tip of the “bay.”

On this beach, right where it merged into the city, the Lapras dropped Kai, Selene, and you off. Kai held the Egg case for you while you struggled to get off the Pokémon’s back, and gave it back to you once you stood in front of him. Right after the three of you had thanked the dual-type Pokémon for ferrying you and bidden him goodbye, he asked you to stay behind because he wanted to talk to you.

“Guys,” you piped up, causing the two Trainers – who had already started walking and were a few steps ahead of you – to stop and turn around to you, “I think I dropped something, and I need to find it.”

“We will help you look,” Selene immediately offered. She made a move to walk over to you, but stopped short when you made a gesture of refusal, waving your hand.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. But that’s not necessary. I’ll be fine on my own,” you declined, smiling at both of them. “Hau is waiting for you, isn’t he? Just go on ahead without me. I’ll catch up to you in a couple of minutes.”

“Alright. We’ll be waiting for you at Opes Market then,” she said. You had agreed on exploring the city, which was the commercial center of Virno and famous for its huge trading port, together since neither of you had ever been here before. Their mutual best friend whom they had told you about during the crossing, Hau, would accompany you. “See you.”

“See you later, [Name]! And you better not keep us waiting for too long! Time is money, after all!” Kai waved to you before he took off running towards the city center, leaving Selene in the dust – quite literally.

You laughed quietly to yourself when you saw the girl’s vexed expression as she bent down to wipe the sand her friend had kicked up off her jeans. She reminded you a bit of May. “See you!” Waving back, you watched the teenagers ascend a short flight of stairs leading up to a street that bordered the beach until they were out of sight. Then, you turned back to the Lapras and beckoned him to follow you to a more deserted part of the beach.

On your way there, you felt something stir in one of your jacket’s pockets all of a sudden, shaking and wobbling and quivering. Hurriedly unzipping that pocket, you took out the five Poké Balls. They were frantically swaying to and fro on your open palm, as if the Pokémon inside were trying to get out – which probably was the case. You granted them this wish, of course.

The first thing Raleia did after she had been sent out was stretch her limbs luxuriously. “Finally! I thought I’d never get to see the sunlight again!” The next thing she did was throw herself at you, clasping both her thin arms around one of your legs since that was all she could reach. “I missed you!”

“Y-You’re e-exaggerating, sister.” Rineis threw you a shy smile, meeting your eyes only for a brief moment before he looked away again. “I-It wasn’t that b-bad,” he reassured you in a low voice. “It was p-pretty nice, a-actually.”

After visibly struggling with herself for a couple of seconds, Phiala overcame her inhibitions. She scampered over to you, as though taking the cue from the female Feeling Pokémon, and nuzzled your other leg. “I missed you too …!”

With a chuckle, you crouched down. You petted them both by turns, either stroking the Poochyena’s grey fur or patting the Ralts’s light blue head with your free hand. “Aww, I missed you too, my cutie pies,” you cooed. Then, you raised your head to look around quickly – no one was in sight – and smile at your other Pokémon afterwards. “All of you. I’m sorry it took a bit longer.”

“And why was that?” Faniola asked, indignation and reproach evident in both her eyes and her voice. She was looking up at you with narrowed eyes, though the sun being behind you right now wasn’t the sole reason for that.

Your lips irked up into amused grin. “Well, you see,” you reached out and began scratching her under the chin to placate her, “I made two new friends at the beach, and they joined me because they wanted to get here too. Thank you,” you added when Amra took the Egg case from you.

The Hearing Pokémon beamed at you. “You’re welcome!”

“And with two more humans on my back, I couldn’t swim as fast as with just one,” the Lapras concluded, stretching his long neck to be closer to your group of six.

The Fox Pokémon merely grunted in response. Even though she tried not to let herself be swayed by your caress and continued to glower at you like a petulant teenager, she soon submitted to your touch. She was no longer peeved. The fact that you offered her a twig to chew on you had found on the beach played a part in that too.


	59. ⸢ Chapter 48 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

“Can you tell us more about your new friends?” Amra asked while looking at you, her head tilted curiously to one side.

“I was just about to ask the same thing!” Raleia piped up. With her fists clenched in excitement and eyes sparkling, she gazed up at you, bouncing up and down on her tiptoes. “What are their names? Where are they from? Can we meet them?”

You laughed. “Take it easy, cutie. Let’s take one thing at a time. Their names are Selene and Kai, and they’re from Alola – that’s an archipelago and a popular resort destination,” you replied as you stood up, brushing sand off your jeans. “But you’re gonna see them in person later. We split up because he,” you turned around to the Lapras and gave him a warm smile, “wanted to talk to me about something.”

“I don’t want to hold you up longer than necessary, so I’ll get straight to the point,” he began and cleared his throat before continuing, “I’d like to teach you a song. If you should ever need my help again, just sing it near a body of water, and I’ll come to you as quickly as I can.”

“You’d do that? Oh wow, thank you!” You paused when the indirect meaning of his words – of his offer – was beginning to dawn on you. “Wait, does that mean you’re joining my Pokémon party?”

The dual-type Pokémon nodded. “Yes, gladly,” he answered. But then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, his black eyes went wide, and he spluttered, “Only if you’re alright with that, I mean! You see, you really impressed me, [Name], and I think it would be a shame if I were to never meet you again.” Toward the end of his sentence, his voice had dropped to a murmur, and he nervously glanced about.

You giggled, your smile broadening into an amused grin. It seemed like there was an adorably shy side to him beneath that outer layer of unabating politeness and friendliness. “Same here,” you said. “I’d love to have you as a member of my team. Can I give you a nickname then?”

This caused him to look at you again, his composure fully regained now. “Sure, if you’d like.” He signalled you with another nod of his head to go ahead and name him, watching you with interest.

“Great, thanks! Your name shall be …” You fell silent as you became absorbed in thought, grasping your chin with your thumb and index finger and stroking it with the latter. You stayed like this for a couple of moments until your frowning face lit up with a smile. “Lithos,” you spoke up. “Are you okay with that?”

“Lithos,” the Lapras repeated to himself, letting that name roll off his tongue. He smiled. “I like it. It sounds nice.”

“Glad to hear that. Welcome to my team, Lithos! I never really introduced you to my Pokémon, did I? These are Raleia, Rineis, Phiala, Amra, and Faniola.” While introducing the other members of your party, you gestured to the respective Pokémon who either waved at (Raleia and Amra), smiled at (Rineis and Phiala), or simply nodded to him (Faniola).

“It’s nice to meet you,” Lithos said and was near-instantly met by a canon of “Nice to meet you too!” which made his eyes take on a tender look. He then turned his attention back to you. “Alright then, let me teach you the song now. It goes like this …”

The melody was catchy, the song itself quite short. All in all, it was very easy to remember – especially since it had no text you had to learn, just the melody. In no time at all, you had memorized it and were able to sing it by heart. But just to be on the safe side, in case the melody should somehow slip your mind, your five Pokémon paid close attention to what Lithos taught you as well.

Afterwards, you bade Lithos farewell (for real this time) and waved him, and he waved back with one of his larger front flippers. With your Pokémon in tow, you headed for Opes Market at a fast pace. Kai, Selene, and their friend Hau – whom you had yet to meet – were already waiting for you there.

Merx Port was located to the right of the beach and not that far away. Even from here, you could see the quays projecting into the open sea, the towering gantry cranes, the colourful container stacks, and the moored freighters. Day after day after day, goods from all around the world were unloaded there. A small part of them were put up for sale at Opes Market, a giant market hall near the trading port, while the rest was either stored in nearby warehouses or directly delivered to the other villages, towns, and cities in Virno. In the far, far distance, the silhouette of Mount Circinus could be made out on the horizon.

Your unfamiliarity with this city resulted in you getting lost on your way to the market hall quite a few times. The noisy, colourful hustle and bustle that filled the streets further disorientated and overwhelmed you – and it got even worse the closer you came to your destination. You had to consult the Places tab on the AreaNav of your PokéNav Plus repeatedly to find your way around.

The five members of your Pokémon party were following right at your heels. You still turned and looked back at them every couple of seconds to make sure that you didn’t lose them on these busy streets. While doing so, you noticed the funny looks and sidelong glances other people were giving you.

The reason for that was as simple as it was obvious: A Pokémon Trainer with their entire team in tow certainly wasn’t something one came across every day. Though Pokémon who didn’t like being carried around in Poké Balls were nothing out of the ordinary – the legendary Champion from Pallet Town, for example, was said to be accompanied by his Pikachu. But it usually was just one Pokémon running around freely and not five at once.

You had to talk to your Pokémon about this matter later, when you were alone. You were already late to your meeting with your new friends as it was, and you didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer. You would just have to put up with this for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is how you pronounce the Lapras' name:  
> Lithos: LIE-THOS


	60. ⸢ Chapter 49 ⸥

_des·ti·ny_

_noun_

_/ˈdes.tɪ.ni/_

_the things that will happen in the future || the force that some people think controls what happens in the future, and is outside human control_

* * *

 

In spite of all your efforts to look out for your Pokémon and not lose them in the crowd, Rineis lost sight of your group and went missing. Luckily, his disappearance was quickly noticed. Thanks to Phiala’s keen sense of smell, you were able to find him within a mere minute. He hadn’t budged, a forlorn figure standing stock-still on the pavement, scared stiff, as people and Pokémon moved past him.

The shiny Ralts snapped out of his paralyzed state the instant his sister called out to him, immensely relieved to see your group of five rushing towards him. He ran up to you. When you both met halfway, you immediately swept him up in your arms, which took him by surprise. Nonetheless, he clung to you as though his very life depended on it, burying his blushing face in your jacket. At the suggestion of Amra, you all began holding hands – or, in Phiala’s and Faniola’s case, tails – to prevent something like this from happening again.

Once you reached Opes Market a few minutes later, you stopped to rest, slumping against a wall, your Pokémon gathered around you. Having to fight your way through a seemingly endless sea of people whilst carrying a backpack and keeping an eye on five Pokémon at once was exhausting – not to mention running around in search of Rineis.

“She called us yesterday,” a voice said at that moment. It stood out from the babel of voices because it sounded familiar. You recognized it as Kai’s and immediately looked around, spotting him, Selene, and a suntanned boy (who you assumed was Hau, their mutual best friend) a short distance away. “She told us she and her brother are coming by ship from Kanto and will arrive in Spica City in a couple of days.”

Hau lifted his arms above his head, interlaced his fingers, and stretched. A contented smile spread across his face a moment later whereas Selene screwed up her mouth in disgust. “Ma-a-an, I can’t wait to see them again!”

Selene’s grimace melted into a nostalgic smile that softened her eyes as well. “Me neither.” But then, a frown tightened her features once more as she took a glance at her watch and looked around afterwards. “I wonder where [Name] – Ah.” That was when she caught sight of you approaching her and the two boys with your Pokémon in tow.

“Hey, guys,” you greeted them with a smile and a wave. “Sorry I’m late, I got lost on my way here a couple of times.”

“There you are! It was about time. I’m glad you finally made it. Sure took you long enough,” Kai teased, playfully winking and nudging you with his elbow. “Did you at least find what you lost?”

“Yeah, thank Arceus.”

“Alola!” Hau said, butting in on your conversation. Jostling Kai, he took his place in front of you and beamed at you – an infectious kind of smile. “You’re [Name], right? Kai and Selene already told me a little about you. I’m Hau! Nice to meet you!” He grabbed your free hand for a hearty, cordial handshake.

“Nice to meet you too, Hau. They told me a bit about you as well. Hey now, take it easy there, cutie.” That last sentence was, of course, not directed at Kai’s and Selene’s friend, but at Rineis whom you were still holding in your arms because you had insisted on continuing to carry him even after he had calmed down. But now that all eyes were on him and eyeing him curiously, his shyness got the better of him, and he started to squirm. As soon as you had set him down, he took cover behind you, peeking out from his hiding place.

“Wow, look at that! A shiny Pokémon!” Hau exclaimed, staring intently at Rineis which only caused the Feeling Pokémon to withdraw completely behind your legs. His iron-grey eyes were sparkling with almost childish excitement that increased at the sight of the other Ralts siblings who puffed herself up. “And not just one, but two!”

“Are those all your Pokémon?” Selene asked as she gazed at your Pokémon team standing behind and next to you, and you gave a nod. “I’ve heard of Trainers being followed by one of their Pokémon, but not their whole team at once.”

With a sheepish smile, you scratched your neck. “Me neither. I’m new to all this and thought it’d be nice being with my Pokémon all the time – which it definitely is –, but it sure draws a lot of attention.” You cast an eloquent glance towards your five Pokémon and saw Amra nod ever so slightly. She seemed to have understood what you were getting at – and so did Raleia because she frowned.

“You must have a really strong bond with your Pokémon for them to follow you wherever you go. That’s pretty amazing! You really are some kind of Trainer,” Hau said. You could only just squeeze in a flattered “Thanks” before he was already onto another topic. “What’s with that Egg the Audino is holding?”

At this, your gaze flitted towards Amra – or, more precisely – the Pokémon Egg of unknown origin safely encased in the glass container in her arms. Luckily, it had survived the journey so far unharmed. It was all thanks to the Hearing Pokémon who had been (and still was) keeping a watchful eye on it. “Oh, it’s a gift from Professor Hyperion. I don’t know what Pokémon is going to hatch from it, though. I’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Well,” Kai piped up and proceeded to get back to the original subject, the reason why you had met up here in the first place, “as long as your Pokémon don’t slow us down during our sightseeing tour, I don’t mind them following you around. Let’s go already! We don’t have all day!” He beckoned the three of you to follow him with a wave of his arm while he was already running off.

As you turned to follow your friends, someone brushed past you on the crowded pavement, and you bumped into each other. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to,” you said, throwing the stranger a fleeting look and an apologetic smile.

“Don’t worry about it. It was my fault,” the young man with eye-catchingly white hair and silver eyes replied. He seemed to be as much in a hurry as you because he merely glanced at you as though to make sure that you were alright and then rushed on ahead.

You did the same, running after Selene, Kai, and Hau, your five Pokémon hot on your heels, and catching up with them shortly afterwards. And thus, your party of nine (including your Pokémon) began your more or less self-guided walking tour of the port city.


End file.
